HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS –Kobe Bryant will never escape Michael Jordan‘s shadow, not as long as basketball fans from different eras continue to measure one superstar’s greatness against another’s.

The argument gets some unique spice this time around, though, from none other than Hall of fame coach Phil Jackson.

Jackson’s new book, “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success,” addresses the MJ-Kobe topic head on. The book is set to be released Tuesday but The Los Angeles Times received an advanced copy and highlights the Kobe-Phil-MJ dynamic in detail. Phil sides with Jordan in basically every instance, which kicked off a Twitter back and forth between Kobe and Phil that is sure to gain more steam when the hoops loving public gets their hands on the book, and throughout Phil’s book tour.

In the book, Jackson finally details what separates Jordan from Bryant, comparing the two superstars with a perspective no one else can match. He won all 11 of his rings (six with Jordan and five with Kobe) coaching one of them. My main man Mike Bresnahan of The Times serves up the good stuff:

“Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe. He loved hanging out with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around,” Jackson said in the book, which was obtained in advance by The Times.

“Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn’t developed strong social skills in college. When Kobe first joined the Lakers, he avoided fraternizing with his teammates. But his inclination to keep to himself shifted as he grew older. Increasingly, Kobe put more energy into getting to know the other players, especially when the team was on the road.”

While Jackson coached, he often jabbed at Bryant’s seemingly annual appearance on the NBA’s All-Defensive team. Now we know why.

“No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender. He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense,” said Jackson, who coached Jordan to six championships and Bryant to five.

“Kobe has learned a lot from studying Michael’s tricks, and we often used him as our secret weapon on defense when we needed to turn the direction of a game. In general, Kobe tends to rely more heavily on his flexibility and craftiness, but he takes a lot of gambles on defense and sometimes pays the price.”

But the most interesting topic by far is his perspective on the differences between MJ and Kobe:

“Michael was more likely to break through his attackers with power and strength, while Kobe often tries to finesse his way through mass pileups,” Jackson wrote. “Michael was stronger, with bigger shoulders and a sturdier frame. He also had large hands that allowed him to control the ball better and make subtle fakes.

“Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn’t going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. Michael, on the other hand, would shift his attention to defense or passing or setting screens to help the team win the game.”

Jackson’s most scathing observation of the two men involves the leadership qualities they possessed, and in Kobe’s case did not possess, and what kind of impact that had on their respective teams (and granted, Kobe was a youngster on those Lakers teams with Shaquille O’Neal):

“One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael’s superior skills as a leader,” Jackson writes. “Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he’d yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had in his bones.”

425 Comments

Great Points, I’m a youngster myself and did not get to witness the full impact of Jordan in his era, but I have tapes Galore of Jordan -playoffs-regular season- and its nothing short of amazing… And from what i see ,yes I would take Jordan over Kobe… BUT…lets give Kobe a lil more credit than what he already is getting for these reasons: 1 he played at some point in 3 diff eras… Jordans -his- and now lebrons and dominated, of course his leadership had to be developed he was 17 coming to The Biggest Team (next to Boston) in the NBA with grown men who were previously all stars, how much could the kid interact-when they go out? To bars? Clubs?…he was there to play basketball…. But this to me is the most important point im about to make and I have yet to hear anybody make…. And pay attention closely to what Im saying before you jump the gun and over-react…… Kobe has never played with a Pippen caliber role player… Ill repeat this.. KOBE HAS NEVER PLAYED WITH A PIPPEN CALIBER PLAYER… Not once did he have a robin alongside him to complement his Batman….. And i know what you saying ‘HE had SHAQ’…. But no you are wrong…. When him and shaq was together Kobe played the pippen role to Shaq, Kobe was robin… Unlike jordan who had pippen and lebron who had dwyane wade, and even dwyane wade when he had shaq……. when Kobe won his 2 championship after shaq he had a few good players(gasol odom,bynum) but none of whom was the caliber players like a pippen or a dwyane, and who was consistent…. For that Kobe deserves credit……… thankyou

LBJ is the best ever, more complete than any player that we have seen in the past and present. Man can play all five positions in offense and defense. He is smart also , he knows how to win. He played in 10 seasons and had only one losing season.
Jordan had five losing seasons and KoMe had seven.

This article is about MJ and Kobe. Why the hell am I seeing those 2 guys being compared to Lebron or even Curry. Geesh, Lebron maybe possible to compare someday, but Curry, come on man!! He just shoots 3’s & you start comparing him to MJ & Kobe. He’s just like a smaller version of Ray Allen….

Michael Jordan is the best ever, at least up to now, in terms of skills, leadership, personal records and awards he’s got. Unless one day someone (could not be Byrant) can get close to what MJ had got, MJ is still the perfect basketball player ever.

I tend to think if Kobe was on Magic Johnson’s team he would have rode the bench team is not in his Vocabulary Whereas MJ understood that mind you I am not a MJ fan I am a Piston fan and MJ and Kobe are behinds at least MJ had Charm. Kobe and everyone should stop trying to compare him to MJ he never was or will be that good. LeBron James will superceed everyone I believe when it comes to talent

Is this even a question? Kobe will never be better than MJ. First of all, we all know that LeBron is better than Kobe. Fellow Heat fans know what I’m talking about. As a Heat fan I don’t even think that LeBron is better than MJ! And thats saying something.So basically, Phil Jackson actually picked the best player WISELY. And dont think this response is dumb because I’m only 10 so…

This arguement is finally done with. Coming from phil jackson that jordan is the best option and being the one to coach both players through all of their championship seasons he obviosly knows both players on bigger and more personal level than anyone the hardships, the challenges the competitions he was always right there . Being at all the practices, games and even personal time. No one knows it like phil does so when phil says jordan discussion is over

I don’t get it. Why do everybody compare Jordan to Kobe by comparing their teams that helped them win championships? I simply don’t get it because Shaq wasn’t the one helping Kobe win those three rings. Kobe was helping “Shaq” getting Shaq’s first 3 rings…. not the other way around. They are Shaq’s championships. Compare their stats if you want but its the truth. Shaq was the main star of that Lakers team not Kobe. So for me that alone ends the debate of Kobe vs Jordan…

Hey hey hey. stop comparing me to anyone..I am not the greatest player to ever played because i never player in every era. I was just fortunate to have the career i have but don’t disrespect others great inPippen, Magic, Bird, Wilt, Shaq ,Kobe, james ..etc
Thank you
Michael Jordan

Hey hey hey. stop comparing me to anyone..I am not the greatest player to ever played because i never player in every era. I was just fortunate to have the career i have but don’t disrespect others great inPippen, Magic, Bird, Wilt, Shaq ,Kobe, james ..etc
Thank you
Michael Jordan

Kobe is a great basketball player,but MJ is a basketball God!It’s not mainly about rings and stats,not even about psysical virtues of the players,wich are similar for both of them.The main diffrence is Jordans character.the way he carried himself both as basketball and a champion. A true great and the best there ever was.Greatings from Serbia

There really shouldn’t be a debate about these two great players. Especially if you are going to use the amount of rings won. The fact is that if Jordan didnt LOSE INTEREST and decide to play Baseball, the Bulls would have won EIGHT STRAIGHT RINGS.

There really shouldn’t be a debate about these two great players. Especially if you are going to use the amount of rings won. The fact is that if Jordan didnt LOSE INTEREST and decide to play Baseball, the Bulls would have won EIGHT STRAIGHT RINGS.

MJ made me believe that I can Fly, made me believe I can touch the sky… nuff said. In all seriousness, MJ is a better leader and competitor, he’s NEVER lost a Finals because he refuses to lose and always Wil his way to Win. Can’t say the same about Kobe.

If you can only watch MJ play during his time.. there will be no topic like this right now.. kobe or lebron, they’re both great basketball players.. no doubt about it.. but MJ, is more of a hell competitor.. and that what makes him lightyears far different from those 2.

Jordan was the epitome of what a true leader was. He led on both ends of the floor and also off the floor. This was something I feel Phil taught him through his philosophy on life. Not just basketball. Who you are off the court is just as important on the court when speaking about leadership by example. Jordan was headstrong and always backed up his confidence in his teammates, himself and coach. Kobe didn’t have this and to a certain extent still doesn’t have it without Phil present. Phil just pointed out the obvious that most basketball fans already witnessed. Just go back and watch the games and you can see. Kobe is still the closest to Jordans hard working ethics.

and there are those who claim Kobe is better because of the difference of league rules on defensive schemes on their respective eras.. pffft… don’t even bring LeBron to the conversation because when it comes to the leadership talk, MJ would shrink his 6’9″ 250lbs body into a tiny spec

Anyone who thinks Kobe is close should watch “Michael Jordans Playground”
MJ hasn’t even won a ring yet when that video was made and just listen to what all the great players say.
And just check out some of those highlights.

Kobe is a great player to watch…. but I seriously cant belive people even consider him on MJ’s level.

MJ put himself above all others when he said that he always played his hardest every game because he knew there were parents with their kids there who probably didn’t have much money but who paid to see him. He said that this might be the only game they ever went to together and he wasn’t going to let them down. Gotta love the guy!

like it was ever a serious question who’s better. MJ anyday.. even if Kobe somehow extends his contract and adds 3 more championships, it’ll still be MJ. you can maybe compare their midrange, post-up game.. but other than that, I don’t think kobe’s better or as good as MJ anywhere.

Kobe is hurt lol, MJ is the greatest scorer ever by far, best player ever?- maybe but ill give him the best leader best scorer ever title, Kobe is not even close, the guy is not even top 10 ever hes like 12 place, there were so many great players in the history of the Nba.

Kobe should not have commented or responded. Notice Jordan did not speak or respond to the comparisons. Like if Kobe is desparate and has to unqualify his rankings. As if the man he mirrored his whole career would ultimately come second to him !!!!????

U cant compare jordans era to kobe/LeBron era. Todays era is based totally on offense and how many points u can score. Today u rarely see great defensive games. Jordan era teams played defense and u had to be smart and crafty to score jordan was. Kobe potentially could have the same stats he does now maybe less points but LeBron I just dont feel he has arsenal of moves Mj and kobe seem to have. Yes LeBron is a great player but lets seem him go up against a true defense player like rodman and see wat happens. MJ IS THE ONLY TRUE KING. Kobe was just his apprentice. No disrespectin kobe but mj was on a different level that not even LeBron will reach. Mj competed against larry bird magic and karem, patrick ewing and countless other hall of famers. But kobe has nun to complain about. With his resume he is guaranteed a spot in the HOF And stop callin pau gasol a star he wasnt a star when he arrived in l.a just a good player. the Memphis Grizzlies agreed to send forward-center Pau Gasol and their 2010 second-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for center Kwame Brown, rookie point guard Javaris Crittenton, and two first-round draft picks in 2008 and 2010.Also sent to Memphis were Pau’s brother Marc Gasol, and Aaron McKie, who was signed by the Lakers the same day.

Before going to all-time greatness. Kobe or Duncan ? Different positions and situations. But Duncan has 4 rings, a dynasty built on him, still going for a ring at the age of 37. Which player would be regarded as greater when they rettire? Most people think Duncan is the best PF to play the game.

As of now I think Michael Jordan is still the greatest basketball player ever. I think Kobe Bryant is not the challenger to that throne, I think the challenger is Lebron James. Lebron James is the best all around player of all time, but Michael Jordan still has the edge as of now because of the number of rings that he has. Lebron James is still young and can still have more rings.

Definitely Jordon over kobe. Now as far as The G.O.A.T………none other than…….
Bill RRRRRussel!!!!!!!!!!!
He would dominate anyone from any era on defense & offense. he’s just known more for his defense because the Celtics back then had so many scorers. He did however lead U. San Fran in scoring the length of time he went there (3yrs) w/ avg. 20 pts & 20 rebs a game. If blocked shots were recorded as stats back then, Russel would have that record also & Hakeem’s record wouldn’t even come close-not to take away from him. But Yeah…
The G.O.A.T. By Far
Bill Russel

BOTTOM LINE! WHAT’S THE POINT FOR ALL THIS ? THIS WILL CHANGE NOTHING, AND YOU CAN’T PROVE YOUR POINT. JUST ENJOY THE GAME AND PLAYERS. THIS WORLD WILL NEVER BE ONE SIDED. SO STOP BANGING YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDIOMS INTO OTHERS

I think “MJ” is much better than both LBJ and KOBE… for he did stop heavy traffic, crime rate gone down low and shows that people can now dream to FLY… every time Michael Jordan and the BULLS plays in the finals… that’s how great he is..

Whoever Brent is. Dude you don’t know basketball at all, basketball can’t be learn just by watching youtube all of you kids out there Lol go play some ball leave your iPhones and iPads at home and see for yourself that MJ reigns supreme he made average players great Kobe was just being spoon fed always surrounded by all star players Kobe has not been able to uplift his lakers from ZERO to hero. Mj does it and you guys think Jackson wrote a book just for money? U guys are a bunch of fools, Zen master have hundreds of millions already he is not going to risk his reputation and what he achieved without a basis! He aint zen master for nothing man! If he says MJ is better he has all the right because nobody in this basketball universe nor the basketball gods now those 2 players better than zen master.

Wow do we really need Phil telling us who is better?
MJ is GOATand Kobe is one of the greatests ever, probably in Top 10 all-time.
And nobody will ever know who would win if they played 1-on-1 cuz we did not have
the chance to see them go against each other both in their respective primes.

NBA players these days get’s many of their points through free throws! They have never worked as hard for their points (as the old school players)! Lebron gets a whistle if the defender breathes near him! Durant also has this advantage! Kobe used to have this advantage also! It’s the superstars and the ref’s vs. the defenders. It’s easy to make the basket when the defender is afraid to come near you or the starting defender is almost fouled out! Try making baskets with the defender all over you and without the ref’s being biased about the fouls! THE NBA REF’S RUIN THE GAME THESE DAYS! Many “SUPERSTARS” get foul calls because they are superstars! Half the damn game is on the free throw line (exaggeration)! JORDAN WORKED FOR HIS BASKETS!

Jordan’s points through free throws (19 to 20 year career) = 7,327 of 8,772!
Lebron’s points through free throws (10th year of his career) = 4,943 of 6,617
Durant’s points through free throws (6th year of his career) = 3,303-3,738
Kobe’s points through free throws (16th year of his career) = 7,932-9,468

To the people arguing about players not being as athletic these days… these guys aren’t from the 60’s! They are from the 80’s, 90’s and today! How can you say players weren’t as “athletic” as players today?! Do you really think these guys (in their prime) can’t keep up with players today?! David Robinson, Hakeem Olajawon, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, Karl Malone, Shaq, Dr. J, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, Reggie Miller, Alonzo Mourning, Penny Hardaway, etc.
I would choose the original Superman (Shaq) over dwight howard! David Robinson and Tim Duncan would be a toss up! Julius Erving is from the 70’s.. and I am sure he would have been a superstar in today’s league!

I’ve seen Jordan and Kobe from their early days, and I must say that they are quite the same in my personal opinion. People have to keep in mind when people make these Jordan comparisons that the player situations are different and the game has evolved. People don’t understand that Kobe grew up in the NBA. He didn’t have the collegiate experience or pro-ready mentality going into the NBA. He had to watch and learn from the GREATEST from his time. From David Robinson, Chris Mullin, Allen Iverson, Hakeem Olijuwan, Reggie Miller the list goes on and on. People seem to forget Kobe has been bred for greatness since his humble beginnings in the NBA. People seem to also forget who he had to hang with in his day. Phil is obviously showing that Kobe had to grow and he has come a long way coming out of HIGH SCHOOL. Kobe was tasked to lead a group of MEN when he was just a boy. Though the difference may be 1 championship, I say they are equal in my eyes. They have BOTH proven to have the capacity to be great leaders and have multi-world championships as well as a bunch of accolades under their belts. 5 championships. That is one ENTIRE hands worth of hard work, determination and leadership.

Well, it’s no secret that Phil left the Lakers the first go around because he was sick of the Shaq-Kobe fight/drama. Guess Phil is paying Kobe back now. Even though everything he is saying is true, it’s gotta sting for Kobe to hear that from your former coach through all these media outlets.

Please do not disrespect the Spurs legacy jn such a way they are a legitimate team and secondly the team that won during Jordan’s retirement was the Houston Rockets not to mention that Jordan only missed one year because when the rockets won their second title it was against Shaq and the Orlando Magic who had eliminated Jordan and the bulls on their way to the finals that season!!

Even though I am a die hard lakers fan I must say overall Jordan is better but Jordan compared himself with Kobe which shows Jordan marks kobe as almost an equal.All those lebron james fan chill out cuz he only has 1 rings. Kobe has 5 and Jordan has 6 big differences. Phil was right when he said “I was lucky to coach the greatest guards”

Jordan dominated his time Kobe dominated his time! It’s different times Jordan played in more a big man era Kobe faced way better talent at the 2 and 3. If Jordan played in an Kobe era he wouldn’t have dominated as much as he did. If Kobe played in MJ era he would’ve dominated the same way Jordan did. In the finals he had Thunder Dan and Jeff Horancek guarding him Kobe goes against Ray Allen Paul Pierce and Rip Hamilton big difference lol

I think that Phil is comparing Jordan and Kobe more on a personal than player level. Not attending college may have affected Bryant’s social skills. He also spent his first two years in the NBA on the bench behind the less skillful Eddie Jones. Some say that he could have been an even better player if he were a starter right from the beginning of his career.

It is also mentioned that MJ was fun-loving outside the court while KB tends to isolate himself from others. This helped #23 develop great camaraderie with his teammates. Kobe obviously didn’t go well with Shaq in the long run, and Dwight implied at some point that they weren’t close friends. Number 24 is all about business when playing professional basketball, performing as well as he could and working 200% in each of his games, but Michael was also like that, and beyond.

Jackson was spot-on with Michael’s leadership qualities. He made average players in the Bulls look awesome and more effective; me molded a team around himself and was six times successful. Kobe won three rings with Shaq, and when the big guy left LA, he couldn’t get the Lakers through the playoffs. It wasn’t until some lanky Spaniard superstar from Memphis wore purple and gold before KB24 tasted success again. Everyone needs other star players to win multiple championships; it’s just that Jordan helped develop his fellow Bulls into becoming somebodies while Kobe needed already established players to help him.

Overall, it’s not really the skill level that sets both players apart. I’d say they’re neck-and-neck in that aspect, but what really made the difference for Jordan is the person in him.

“Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn’t developed strong social skills in college.”
Says the guy who made an awkward fist bump and played it off by rubbing his face. (Phil Jackson)

For all the people who compare Kobe or Lebron to Jordan and make the claim that today’s players are more athletic, lets get this clear…….. Athleticism doesnt translate into talent!!! The players in Jordan’s era were far more skilled and they had higher basketball IQ’s. Lebron’s post game would be non-existent against true centers like Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, or dare I say Hakeem the Dream!!! Even Mt. Mutumbo would have altered the way Lebron, Wade, and Melo play their slice and slash to the basket type games!! Those guys made up for what they lacked in athleticism with heart, determination, and undeniable skill!!! They didnt cry to refs on every missed shot nor did they bounce around with mouth guards and fancy protective padding!!! They played hard nosed get it how you live basketball!!! So for that very reason alone…. Jordan over Kobe and LBJ respectively!!!

MJ is the best ever! The reason that Kobe got 5 rings because of the #32 jersey for the first 3 championships. It’s not because of the #8!!. There is no comparison between 6 rings (bulls) and 5 rings (lakers).

This Below is from Henry About of ESPN.com with fact of what Kobe does in the Clutch for the last 15 years. Enough Said. >

The un-clutch Lakers
One of the key arguments in his favor is that he draws double-teams, which allows other Lakers to score. But that doesn’t seem to happen much. Over Bryant’s 15-year career, the Lakers have had the NBA’s best offense, and second-best won-loss record. No other team can match their mighty 109 points per 100 possessions over the entire period.

You’d expect Los Angeles to also have one of the league’s best offenses in crunch time, right? Especially with the ball in the hands of the player most suited to those moments.

That’s not what happens, though. In the final 24 seconds of close games the Lakers offense regresses horribly, managing just 82 points per 100 possessions. And it’s not a simple case of every team having a hard time scoring in crunch time. Over Bryant’s career, 11 teams have had better crunch-time offenses, led by the Hornets with a shocking 107 points per 100 possessions in crunch time, a huge credit to Chris Paul.

The Lakers are not among the league leaders in crunch-time offense — instead, they’re just about average, scoring 82.35 points per 100 possessions in a league that averages 80.03. They are, however, among the league leaders in how much worse their offense declines in crunch time.

When Bryant is on the floor in crunch time, Bryant’s Lakers are actually outscored by their opponents.

A great offensive team performing at average levels, with a star setting records for number of shots attempted. Teammates left wide open. Evidence, even, that Bryant’s play puts his team into nailbiters that needn’t be so close.

MJ and KB play the same Way and act the same way in bball LB just has 2 inches on mj and kb and it does not matter who has more rings or MVP its who can bring the game to bball and play thier heart out therefor thier is no comparing any bball player to one another period.

I wonder whom Phil would have picked if he was brought in again to coach LAL.. This publication coming just when Phil’s chances with LAL are OVER. I don’t think the coaches should ever publish comparing their players.. past or present.. just kills the sanctity of relationship..

Its like comparing the first 6 rings to the next 5 rings.. Does he value them any less?? Dont think so.. why the hell compare??? I thought you were old enough to understand this Phil…

“Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success,” – I hope there is more to the book than the comparison..

It is a team sport and they do play for rings and titles at the end of year. So those stat’s that anybody has to compare don’t add up. I never seen Bill Russell play but I know what Jordan did bring to the hardwood every single time he walked out on it just like Bird and Magic. They gave it their all with no dang excuses on why this or that happen at the end of a game.
I would have love to see Bill play with Havachek and Cousy and Henson and Pettit.

No sense really to compare both MJ and Kobe. Phil just wants to sell a book.

If you want to know who’s the greatest player to ever play in the NBA, just check the name on the Finals MVP trophy. It’s Bill Russell, an 11-time Champion. It’s the no. of rings, not the personal stats that should define the greatest player. Most of us just happened to live in the Bird-Magic, Jordan and Kobe eras.

You haters just can’t accept that MJ is the GOAT or lemme elaborate “Greatest Of All Time”… YIkes! Kobe nor Lee-bron should not be in this discussion. The 2 wont even come close to MJ’s records and oh! let me start with the 6 Finals MVP

HERE’S HOW IT GOES DOWN! I am a huge Lakers and Kobe fan, but yes, Jordan is a better all around player than Kobe. He just is, his body of work is better.

Kobe is a better pure scorer, he has the ability to hit much more difficult shots, especially when being double and even triple teamed.

Lebron is on his way to greatness and yes 4 mvp’s is great and all but he has 1 ring. He hasn’t grazed Kobe’s status yet because he has yet to prove that year in and year out he wants it more than anyone else on the court. Yes he is the most freakish physical specimen that the NBA has ever seen, but his mind is half of what Kobe and MJ’s is. Doesn’t mean he can’t get there, but he is far from it at this point, so please hold the comparisons until he at least has 3 in a row.

LASTLY, if you want to talk about the best player of ALL TIME! KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR!!!! He perfected the best shot in the NBA and would dominate in any era of basketball. Hes got 6 rings, 6 MVPs, and won a championship as a ROOKIE! This dude truly is the best ever! Everyone wants to talk about Michael and I totally understand why… hes the best guard ever. But the best player this game has ever seen is still Kareem. They made dunking illegal in college for a while and dont forget that his game would translate to ANY era! The skyhook is the best EVER!!!! #33 #LAKERNATION

He was awesome that was for sure.. I use to love watching the early 80’s ShowTime Lakers!! Watching them battle the Celtics in those 81-82 finals is what got me hooked on basketball had a early age of 10. which dates myself.

Lebron over kobe… when was the last time you saw kobe averaging above 50 percent from the field during an entire season…. NEEEVVVEEEERRRRR. Lebron will make the correct play at the end of the game, whether that is putting up a shot himself or finding a team mate for a wide open shot.. Kobe would keep jacking up shots even if they are not falling in and then blame gasol for a turnover towards the end of the game.. Hence LEBRON>KOBE

MJ all day long. Just ask yourself this question: how many pro athletes of ANY sport are still selling merchandise to people who weren’t even born when they played! The only athlete I can even think of is Wayne Gretzky who is a distant second..I did see one of his Jerseys for sale the other day. Just go to any shoe store and you will see MJ stuff and no one else.

Versatility of Lebron, or any other player does not mean anything if he is not wining games and being best when its most needed. Also, being better shooter (like Kobe is supposed to be), or being better ball-handler (like Kobe or whoever is supposed to be) does not mean anything if you have lower shooting percentage from field, or especially at scoring under the rim where you finish your dribbling and making your skills efficient.. .
Thats reason (without stats) from which is obvious that mj is the best guard ever!

Versatility, or good ball handling is not making kobe or lebron better.
For example: take Leo Messi in football- there are lot of guys who are more versatile, or have more dribbling tricks or some of those football fineses, or are maybe higher or stronger then him. But Messi is so efficient that no vesatility or ball handling of other players can make them better then him. Mike was best at penetrating defenses and scoring, just like Messi. Furthermore, he was most elegant and gracious at playing, scoring…., and stil is…

Good Day… It is very nice to read all the comments… it just show that we all love basketball.. How ever, did we already think of the opportunity if they both play on the same court having the same teammates? who would win? with a different perspective of rules inside the court before compare on what is basketball today.

I am a huge fan of both,.. there’s no question about it… but lets be objective on the reasoning part…. What if.. Jordan will play against Lebron, Dwyane, Carmelo, CP3, KD, Westbrook and Bryant? what will happen?

IT would be like the dream team in Spain when they took the gold medal by a avg. of 34 points a game and Barkley elbowing that Spaniard in the chest on his way back to his end of the court that like have put that poor man in the hospital. Right there. See just a different kind of toughness during that era. Even if you had Jordan and Kobe with the ’93 Mavericks or the ’73 76ers or even maybe the 2012 Bobcats they would give everyone a great run for their money!!

MJ was gifted as a basketball player, symbol of the NBA in his era. There were lots of good player as well in his time but because of his charismatic presence he put himself on top of those players. He made lots of shot and not all of them were good, but we only remember the good thing he made in his era, and it’s because he made us think, and believe he is the greatest of all time. I haven’t seen any player like him to make us believe that they can over take MJ. There are lots of skillful player than him, but why we think he’s still the best of them? I think because of his incomparable competitiveness…

Jordan is better. Kobe, though will never give up, and does possess more craftiness than Jordan, and might be a slitghly better shooter than Jordan. I don’t think Kobe himself has truly realized why he isn’t better than Jordan, let me explain. Kobe believes in all his heart that he can indeed take on Jordan one on one, and beat him. I have been thinking of them playing one on one a lot lately, and I believe Kobe will actually end up beating Jordan. But! somehow even after beating Jordan, he doesn’t get the satisfaction of being better than him. Jordan, who has a better attitude than Kobe (no debate there) won’t let that bring him down, and will end up being the MVP, rather than Kobe (When supposedly both players are in their prime).Number 2 players are often underrated, unknown, with not enough attention given, but I think in this case, that’s about to change. Kobe isn’t Michael’s shadow, Kobe is Kobe, Jordan is Jordan. Now for a totally irrelevant comparison, Jordan is like Goku, and Kobe is like Vegeta, … so you tell me what’s wrong with being number 2. Nothing!

Jordan is better. Kobe, though will never give up, and does possess more craftiness than Jordan, and might be a slitghly better shooter than Jordan. I don’t think Kobe himself has truly realized why he isn’t better than Jordan, let me explain. Kobe believes in all his heart that he can indeed take on Jordan one on one, and beat him. I have been thinking of them playing one on one a lot lately, and I believe Kobe will actually end up beating Jordan. But! somehow even after beating Jordan, he doesn’t get the satisfaction of being better than him. Jordan, who has a better attitude than Kobe (no debate there) won’t let that bring him down, and will end up being the MVP, rather than Kobe (When supposedly both players are in their prime).Number 2 players are often underrated, unknown, with not enough attention given, but I think in this case, that’s about to change. Kobe isn’t Michael’s shadow, Kobe is Kobe, Jordan is Jordan. Now for a totally irrelevant comparison, Jordan is like Goku, and Kobe is like Vegeta, … so you tell me what’s wrong with being number 2. Nothing.

Nothing at all!! I would love to be number 2 or in the Top 50 of all time!! I tell you just being in the top 50 of all time!! Now that is saying something just right there! You know there has been over 5500 different players that have come and left the NBA at one time or another and you can say that you have made the Top 50 of All Time and your not even finished your career yet with a couple more years to go.. Who even say that at there job right now.. Not many, ever!!

Kobe is great, but like yawl all said it is just two different tiers of levels of greatness and no matter if you like either one or not if you have watched both of them play when at anytime, you know what you get in each one by the level of competitions from the times they have played to even playing each either and the mind freak in Jordan would do on Kobe. It would be like Hannibal talking to Buffalo Bob.

When Jordan was in his prime, he instilled the fear of God to the opposing team. They were literally scared to play him. Watching the games back then, you could see it clearly in their eyes, and in their body language. They were afraid. And Jordan was able to do it with this killer mentality. The only other player that come close to Jordan is Larry Bird when it came to the killer instinct and mental toughness. It just deflates the confidence of the opposing teams.

Kobe is a better offensive scorer, perhaps. Lebron may be a better all-around player and is a brute of a physical specimen. But Jordan is the one who wins games. He is the ice-cold killer with the mentality to destroy you psychologically.

People talk about how Kobe started the NBA out of high school and this and that. But Jordan made the winning basket in the NCAA finals in North Carolina as a freshman, straight out of high school. Ice cold shot. Jordan was born clutch. He was clutch as a freshman in college. And that’s all mental strength. Even at that young age. You either have it or you don’t. You don’t develop something like that. That’s why Larry Bird was also clutch, because even with all his trash-talking beat downs, he had the menta toughness to be clutch and win games. Kobe, and definitely Lebron are not at the same level.

So yeah, Kobe might be a better offensive scorer, and Lebron may be a better all-around player, but Jordan is the better winner. He is the one you want on your team if you want to win the game. Not Kobe. Not Lebron.

Bottom line: if you had first dibs to pick any NBA player to be on your team, the first person you will pick if you want to win the game is MJ. Then you pick the rest (best scorer, rebounder, all-arounder, etc.) afterwards. But you start with the one who wins games.

BullTart, this was well put, a hellva lot better than I have been trying to say it. You either have the killer instinct or you don’t which separates the greatest to ever played so far or one the best that has come through a league that has hit a level that has never been at before until the man with the killer instinct showed up to a league that was only pulling in about $600 to $900 million total a year to the billion dollar industry where the jokers can make a $25 million to $30 million dollar a year check. GIve kudos where kudos is due and give all the rest what they deserver riding in on the coat tails of World Star he is.

hakeem,david robinson,shaq,pat ewing,mutumbo,dogherty and many more great centers and power forwards like barcley,malone,larry johnson,malone,oacklay etc. and then put the howards,bynums,gasols,e jordans,love etc. on the other side and tell me please which era is easier to score on.
phil jackson just said what he could say for the past 10 years for obvious reasons.

why is lebron even mentioned? he ditched his team unlike mj nd kobe. he made it a big deal with “the decision” special. he teamed up with two superstars that had pretty much allstar careers already. after losing to the mavs in the finals he acted like a sore loser telling everybody that they will still continue with their lives while he still gets paid millions and doesnt care that he lost in the finals and even during the finals he acted like sore loser making fun of dirk b/c he was sick during game 2. yet the media continues to ride his jock. despicable.

The MJ, Lebron comparison is interesting because Lebron’s versatility is unmatched by anybody EVER in league history. Sorry Jordan fans, but there’s no chance he could play every position on the court effectively. Lebron can play every position on the court at an all star level, and he plays the 2 or 3 as one of the GOATs. If Lebron gets 5 titles i’ll say he’s better than MJ. And my word has a lot of weight because I have an opinion and i’m not a “expert”. #SkipBaylessmode

kobe is way better than LeBron in rings and state. LeBron is a gold digger he went to miami to get a ring because he couldn’t do it by himself. kobe was a higher leading scorer than LeBron so kobe is better than LeBron even when he’s 34

You guys are forgetting that Kobe came into the league as a weak high school player from Pennsylvania he was the 13th pick Lebron , iverson , Mj are all top 5 draft picks. He had to work his game up and spend hours and hours in the gym. When Kobe played with the lakers his first 2 or 3 years he came of the bench and you guys expect him to be the star of the team? Shaq had more experience and more skills while playen with kobe thats why he was the leader of the team and one those 3 nba finals mvp .People say shaq was the only reason kobe got 3 rings , if you look at is shaq he couldnt have won them either without kobe, MJ never made it to second round without Pippen his record was 1-9 , but kobe never made it to the second round with out shaq either. They both got flaws everyone has flaws. Mj is the GOAT everyone knows that but you have to look at all the work Kobe has put so he can get better and better each year.

the thruth comes from the children mouths, and phil jackson ;)
jordan all day, superior athletic skills, stronger man when i dig and see some “unknown old old bulls regular season game” (hopefully for the dunks superstars, the videos and highlights were not so hightec at the time), i see him make absolutely CRAZY moves or jumps, CRAZY- he is smaller than griffin carter james and all but have the jump of nate robinson, maybe more it’s crazy.
the Defense rules and the way defense was allowed man, no way the paper star from today could do a good game like now. no way, jordan fought with violent and physically intense Dfense, a lot of checks/push are illegal now.
jordan beat the actuals with big handicaps (defense, rules) and his game comes from personal work, tenacity when the bulls lost (not a crying transfer for a bigger jerseys market) and some inspiration (dr.j etc), very hard moments with his brother in playgrounds when he was little, like i did with my little brother ;))
today, era of instant highlights videos copycats, fake toughness and crying babys
i love kobe but there is one batman and one robin, one sangoku one vegeta, one michael one kobe

Oh for christ sakes can you all PLEASE take the Jordan juice out your mouth…. jordan this, jordan that…. hell always be the best? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard what can you see the future? Lebron is actually more the most talented athlete I’ve ever seen…. he could have went to the NFL and easily dominated if he wanted to. Jordan is over hasn’t played since 98 get over him. Phil Jackson knows how to sell a book that’s for sure. In an interview in 2009 I recall Phil saying that kobe was a better basketball player than Jordan. Now back to the argument at hand… what jordan was to the game of basketball, you could say no one will ever have that impact… but I definitely believe that Kobe is on Jordans level for the sheer fact that he’s been in the league for 17 years and everyone is still waiting for him to fall off. Its funny how no one wants to give Kobe his due diligence yet whenever he fails to do something they love bashing him for it. His whole career is Cursed because ppl could never get off the Jordan train and appreciate Kobe for Kobe. I tell you though… don’t miss out on greatness for the sake of camparison… enjoy this man’s talent and let him be Kobe.

Umar, you need to open your eyes and watch some film and look back on history and see who helped change a sport because of his drive to win at all cost. Not saying that was the right thing to do but that is what he did because of that killer instinct which no one has match. If they had then we would be here talking about that person until they do match it.

Your right another Ali or Buth Ruth will always come along but until then all will have to speak about is the ones that were.

one more point point that i want to make, is that the reason michael won those 10 scoring titles, and 6 finals mvps, and 5 league mvps, and those 30+point averages, is because he never played with a dominant big man before. it helped him by playing with average centers like granville waiters, dave corzine, bill cartwright, will perdue, luc longley, and bill wennington.
that’s why he could average 30 points a game, win all those mvps, and 10 scoring titles. that’s the point kobe made what would the perception be if he had played with shaq, would he have been overshadowed by playing with a dominant big guy. i wrote to the bobcats and told that to michael, and i even think that he knows that deep down. kobe makes a good point.

Rumar Spencer I think you need to write back and ask MJ and Kobe and Mr. Jackson who had the heart and killer instinct to pull off the win when they needed too. Just be real and ask them that. I think you real know this answer because that is what has driven and made Jordan the at his sport of all time. Not saying that Kobe is a scrub at all, he is one of the greatest as well but not the guy that changed his sport where other people around the world wanted to be like Mike including Kobe and me but I just a fat kid with no rings and no killer instinct.

The question should be “what the perception would be if Kobe didn’t play with Shaq?” and we already know what the answer would be>> “This kind of debate of comparing MJ and Kobe will never exist, because Kobe wouldn’t even get his first 3 rings if he didn’t team up with Shaq.”

I think the biggest take away from this is the fact everyone agrees all defensive team honors are a joke. Iguodala was left off again. How the heck hasn’t that guy gotten on the first team at least once?! When literally everything says he is the best wing defender in the game. Seriously people that vote need to have to write out arguments backed with actual numbers and reasoning for why they vote the way they do. Because it literally is all about politics. Just like most of the awards in general.

i think phil jackson needs to rethink on his career, of why he doesn’t accept the challenge of coaching rebuilding teams, instead of sticking with contending teams. to me thats cowardly, and i tweeted him about that, and instead of questioning kobe’s leadership, he should accept the challenge of coaching a upstart team, if he’s such a great coach, why doesn’t he want to accept that challenge.

MJ is the greatest of all time to this day! He had the greatest coach too, in Phil Jackson! Phil is rumored to want to build the Sonics when we get a team back and I hope that is true? MJ probably could still come off the bench and do some damage even today

I think that if their was any player in the nba that could be compared to MJ it would half to be Kobe…their is no other..and for Kobe to even be mentioned in the comparison between the two should really feel good about himself…and people are over looking how Kobe’s will and hunger to just win is amazing….all he wants to do is win…and that’s why Kobe is a winner…and remember Kobe is not done yet…

all you guys know deep down that kobe is just as competitive as mj or any other great. he has proven that he’s a winner and can lead a team to a titles, and he can be a leader to his teammates. trading shaq turned out to be a blessing. some of you say on here that kobe thinks of himself and hurts the team, well if he was really that way, would he have won rings, think about that.
i tweeted phil and felt that he went too far, and shouldn’t have questioning his leadership, and he should’ve complimented him and michael in a way that it would’ve made it easier for him to complimented both guys. then again phil is never known for being consistent, with his comments.

Jordan’s rings came after he stuck with the team and it developed, and MJ never had to team-up with players like Karl Malone and Isiah Thomas to win a ring, which make his championships very valuable- I can’t say the same thing about LeBron.

I dislike Kobe he is a giant D bag who has screwed the laker franchise over in the long run…..so if you wanna see kobe first hand head over to John Wayne airport to the southwest ramp at 5:30am and throw insults! Its fun

Hey did see the stats did you kobemj123 where Kobe is just 32% at the last of the game when the lakers are either ahead by two or down by two in his 15 year career. That tells me he has no killer instint like Jordan who is at 89% with his team down by two or ahead by two in the last minute of a game.

Kobe is the most selfish player to ever play the game. He might only have 2 rings if it wasn’t for Shaq, please he compares nowhere near Michael Jordan. Losing a game 7 by 40 pts. To the Celtics. Truly a LOL. Mike Jordon never played a game 7 in the finals.

MJ is the reason i started to love basketball. Kobe is great as a player as well. No point in making comparison. I’m just glad I was there during their prime and that they both made Basketball a fun sports to watch, enjoy and most importantly inspiring the young ones. =D

Im sorry to say this but whoever thinks that Scottie Pippen was no more than a role player , is either cause they dont have to much knowledge of basketball or there just neive. cause if u look at Scottie Pippens stats when M.J. retired. he improved his stats when M.J. wasnt there, but of course if u take one of the best players in a team. the team is not going to be as good. if u dont beleive just look at what happened to the okc thunder when they lost Russel Westbrook in the first round playoffs, they werent as good without Westbrook in the lineup. if Pippen was more than just a role player he wouldnt have improved his stats and the bulls wouldnt have even made the playoffs that year, but they still made it and they almost beat the Knicks in the second round, without M.J. on the team. I belief that if pippen was just a role player he wouldnt have been able to step up his game and help the bulls win more than 50 games that year and almost beat the knicks, without there best player.

So many comments, but most of them agreed: You cannot compare MJ with Kobe. It comes down to MJ helped his team players to be better players. Kobe will be always remembered as the MJ WANNABE. He watched so much MJ games to try to be like Mike, but until Lebron came There will be only ONE MJ. Kobe a good imitator. So many comments can be wrong its comparing apples and bananas. We still have to see more about Lebron and maybe some day we will talk about comparing Lebron to MJ, but for now, let Kobe tweet and pretend to humiliate his coach as he always did with his teammates and staff.

maybe u cant compare kobe to m.j when it comes to accolades, but remember people basketball is still a team game even though lots of people dont want to recognize it, u win as a team and u lose as a team, but when it comes to intensity and wanting to win at at all cost u could compare both players, and when it comes to the way they played u could compare them. and i know alot of people critisize kobe for immulating M.J. but remember this if he wanted to be the best player he could be, who wouldnt want to immulate the so called best of all time. i think people should give him credit that he took on the challenge of wanting to be like M.J. even if people think he felt short. alot of other players didnt want the challenge of wanting to be like M.J.

Not sure why anyone is comparing Lebron to mj with 6-8 prime years left in his career. Lets b honest though….Lebron is clearly better than Kobe in just about every way possible. Jordan? Only time will tell….

guys, the first three rings of kobe bryant?who is their main man, who is their final mvp?shaq right? so no need to compare kobe to mj because kobe’s three championship ring he is only support to shaq and shaq is their main man in their three championship..mj is the best

How many hall-of-fame players didn’t get championships because of MJ. Chris Mullin. Patrick Ewing. John Stockton. Karl Malone(second leading scorer of all time). Charles Barkley. These are all fantastic basketball players who never got to pound champagne in a locker room because of one man. Does Kobe have that same impact? No he doesn’t. Case closed.

People forgot Jordan was AIR not a King More like God. And he was called the greatest from his pairs without a body like LJ that I love. Jordan took what he had and beat the others with it. LJ had a chance to come close but a franchise player don’t leave its franchise after loosing in finale to go to another franchise and be compare to Jordan I am sorry.

Jordan should had won more mvp also remember against Charles Barkley check out the stat remember against Karl Malone, they are great player but if we owed to be honest Jordan should have been mvp all the six year he got his rings.

Jordan may not have had the body or the skills of the others but he still beat them he put fear in your soul just by smiling at you.

To finalise you have to be a different kind of player to ask people like (Bird, magic, Drexler, Ewing, mullin, dumars, karl Malone, barkley etc… to be interview and admit Jordan was better than them)

I understand the NBA still try t look for the next “visage” of the NBA Kobe had the skills but he copy his game on Jordan, Lebron has the body of a monster but left as a franchise player to go to wade that will always tarnish his legacy
(he had to leave Cleveland before saying he will win that many trophies)
Jordan is 6-0 never lost a final series and that to me say it all

1. JORDAN could fly
2. I once seen Jordan walk in the air
3. Every kid in America played basketball with their tongue sticking out
4. Jordan could shoot with his eyes closed
5. Obviously the comparison is more about who Jordan was and who Kobe isn’t. …which is pretty much unfair

I agree with Phil MJ was a little better than kobe. I just think he should give kobe more credit for his scoring, he might have a low shooting percentage but the best point guard he’s ever had is a 38 year old Steve Nash.

Ok Let’s Clear All This Up. Kobe And Jordan ObviouslyAre In The Same categoriE Of Elite Basketball Players. But It Unfair ToState One Is Better ThanTheOther Because OfThe Difference In Technology. Anyone DisagreesWith ThisTheyAre Simply Ignorant. FilmStudy, Break Down Of Play By Play, Strategies To ShUt Down Players StrengthsAre Far More AdvanceToday Than They WereIn The 80S Even In The Early 2000S. OneCannot Stay mj wasWas Better Truthfully Bc It Was A Different Era And Different Knowledge Of The Game. Basketball Is An Evolving Sport And Always Will Be The Next Generation Will Be Much More Knowledgeable Than Us Now AtAll Areas Of The Sport.

Hey Steve, where the hell do you come up with that at after you made a you said yourself ‘you can disagree with that are you simply Ignorant”. well hello Ignorant!! Damn we already made the case in this thread that the 80’s were a hellva lot harder to play in than it has been for the last 8 or 9 years. Cmon man keep up with the thread… lol…

everybody has their right to raise opinion but i think theres no need to compare the 2 to lebron coz lebron is in a forward position with a 6’8 height while mj and kobe are both shooting guard with a 6’6…… soo lebron is out of the topic

It took MJ 7 years to get a ring an if u wanna say shaq help Kobe well wen shaq left it was……ding ding ding Kobe doing work, not perfect but the greatest basketball player ever for right now cause we might jus get another Kobe or MJ out there to top Kobe an MJ

compare kobe with ​​lebron? lebron is the best player today, but remember that he had to go to another team to win a championship. Lebron is more complete than kobe or Mj no doubt about it. it’s too soon to compare Mj to lebron even compare Kobe to lebron, WHY? because Mj career is over, Kobe career is i the last and Lebron career is in the middle.

MJ was clearly better but they have a really different background. I remember when Kobe came into the NBA. He was hyped as the youngest player who has ever come to the leauge. There were huge expectations towards him from early on to be part of a Laker team able to get through the playoffs. He was very young when he won the first three titles and almost had the fourth which would have been an NBA record. So Kobe experienced the top really early in his carreer. Jordan started 84 an had to work seven years to win a chamionship. At this time he was the only really good player in his team, so had to perform 30+ points every night. He had seven years to learn to rely on his teammates. If you look at Jordan’s stats when the Bulls won their first championship he scored 5 or something less points than before. But he had learned to rely on a good team. And that allowed him an effective and superb basketball play. Kobe was second option in the first years (behind Shaq) and he had to really step up as a leading player. He could do it, but not at that perfect level as Jordan did couple of years before.
Some compare LBJ to them. This is to early. LBJ is a worse defender than Jordan, lacks the elegance of both Jordan and Kobe (Kobe has even now a very tricky way to get to the basket, Jordan used the elegant fadeaway jumpshot in his late carreer. LBJ uses force like the early Jordan did but relies more on mere phisicality: scores by force, runs into the defender and rams him). At this state of his carreer is LBJ much worse than both.

I agree with the statements about LJ. Personally, I am looking at some other aspects of these three personalities even though we should focus on MJ & KB in this thread. Let me just point out that even when LJ was with the Cavs, not only that he was being pushed by everybody around him including national media ‘to be the next MJ’, but he was and he still is a prima donna in terms of spot light and his own willingness to search for the cameras during the half time and after a game. Basically, LJ was interviewed more than anyone else, but has not accomplished much, earlier in his career. National media awarded an hour long show about his free agent decision. I am sorry, for me his personality lacks maturity and that is why I say, ‘let the man play a few more years’.

NOTE: I am not trying to attack LJ, in fact we need to deviate from LJ to MJ vs. KB discussion.

MJ was more critical to the success of the bulls than Kobe to the Lakers – MJ joined an average or less ball club, and built them into world champions, Kobe joined a very good team with a long winning tradition and took them to the next level. MJ lead the bulls in rebounds his first season – then Charles Oakley joined the team, told MJ, you will never lead this team in rebounds again, and as the pieces fell into play the bulls stepped it up to the next level. MJ could finish at the rim like no one else, he looked for the contact found his balance point and muscled the ball through for the traditional “and one”. Kobe might be a better traditional shooter, drives the lane well, but not as strong. MJ and Kobe both were willing and able to put the team on their back and take over – with Kobe you saw it in his eyes… with MJ, the tongue hung out a bit further. Career I give it MJ, put them both at their prime, I wouldn’t bet much on individual games.

totally agree with the comment above… its an insult to compare mj to kobe.. mj beats him hands down as a scorer , defender , play maker and leader. What more is there to say. By scorer i mean mj average scorer as well as his field goal percentage. Kobe just shoots in volumes doesn’t mean he is a better scorrer.

Jordan, hands down over Kobe but when it’s all said and done, LeBron will be very close. Kobe has never really won a ring without another superstar or two. Jordan, basically took a bunch of role players all the way every year. The other major difference is the way the games are officiated. You could hand check back then, can’t do it now.

MJ as a good teammate??? Just ask Steve Kerr. Jordan knocked him out in a practice, for nothing. Okay, Jordan is a better overall player than kobe, coz he’s much stronger. He’s the greatest athlete in the 20. century, and the best player of all time, but I think Kobe is at the top 5 too

I don’t know if anyone mentioned the fact that Lebron had to change teams to get a championship. MJ worked his team there. He went through a lot of rough seasons to get we’re he got. Kobe came in and had Shaquille and company. Lebron never had the patience to build the team. I know we are comparing individual people but this is just another fact about MJ and why he is the greatest of ALLTIME

I have watched both play (including others i.e. LJ), have to say it is only fair to compare certain aspects of the game between MJ & KB. Why, you may ask? The game when MJ played and the game when KB is playing it, is a completely different game. However, there are certain things you can measure with the absolute certainty (i.e. personality, leadership style, teammate or player, etc..) As far as the stats, someone smarter than me needs to figure out a formula to compare stats, since the game back then and now is different. Now, LJ (just to clarify LeBron James), let the man play a few more years before we can say if he is comparable to MJ & KB. Nonetheless, LJ is hell of an athlete. Personally, between these three, I am ranking 1. MJ, 2.KB, 3.LJ. ;-)

MJ made the players around him great. Kobe not so much. I actually think Kobe’s team mates are wondering what the hell to do sometimes. They are both great players but MJ just had a way about him that made everybody better and you need everybody to be your best. MJ’s team dynamic reminds me more of Lebron

no comparison… MJ with Pip wanted and kept their 96-98 championship team together, and the management were the ones who broke it. kobe and shaq broke their 00- 02 championship team with their bickerings. MJ is to be compared with LBJ ….. kobe MAYBE comparable to another MJ, magic johnson that is…. and i highly doubt that kobe is better than magic

This is common sense. Phil is saying absolutely nothing revolutionary here, although it is nice to hear him say it.

To me, Kobe is not even a top 10 all-time player. He is a great scorer, and a great competitor. But his intangibles, especially his leadership, have always been an issue. And, even bigger, I do not think Kobe revolutionized the NBA in any way whatsoever. He’s basically MJ Lite, and has always tried to model his game after #23 (was the switch to #24 trying to suggest that he’s better than MJ…hmmm….lol).

I also don’t think that his basketball IQ has ever been particularly high. But he has grown in that department. In fact, this year he showed flashes of brilliance with his ability to set others up. But, like Phil said, historically when Kobe has had off shooting nights, what does he do? He just keeps jacking them up, rather than finding other ways to help his team win.

Finally, let’s get back to the matter at hand. MJ carried a team on his back for virtually his entire career. The Bulls were nothing when he arrived. When Kobe arrived in L.A., he stepped onto a roster that was capable of doing serious damage without him. Hell, for three of his five championship runs, he wasn’t even the best player on his team. Even if you don’t agree with that statement, you cannot deny that Shaq is one of the greatest centers of all time. And they also had an excellent supporting cast. And yes, Kobe was the clear leader for his last two championship runs. But his supporting cast still was WAY better than what Michael had to work with in Chi town.

All of this to say, I’m not knocking Kobe, even though it may sound like it. He’s a great player, but unfortunately he has fallen victim to our insatiable desire to find the heir (or shall I say “air”) to MJ’s throne. He can’t live up to that. I’m not sure anyone can, at least anyone we’ve seen. LeBron has the talent, but I’m not sure he has the mental makeup. But, at the very least, LeBron has revolutionized the game with his style of play. We have seen nothing like him before.

This Below is from Henry About of ESPN.com with fact of what Kobe does in the Clutch for the last 15 years. Enough Said. >

The un-clutch Lakers
One of the key arguments in his favor is that he draws double-teams, which allows other Lakers to score. But that doesn’t seem to happen much. Over Bryant’s 15-year career, the Lakers have had the NBA’s best offense, and second-best won-loss record. No other team can match their mighty 109 points per 100 possessions over the entire period.

You’d expect Los Angeles to also have one of the league’s best offenses in crunch time, right? Especially with the ball in the hands of the player most suited to those moments.

That’s not what happens, though. In the final 24 seconds of close games the Lakers offense regresses horribly, managing just 82 points per 100 possessions. And it’s not a simple case of every team having a hard time scoring in crunch time. Over Bryant’s career, 11 teams have had better crunch-time offenses, led by the Hornets with a shocking 107 points per 100 possessions in crunch time, a huge credit to Chris Paul.

The Lakers are not among the league leaders in crunch-time offense — instead, they’re just about average, scoring 82.35 points per 100 possessions in a league that averages 80.03. They are, however, among the league leaders in how much worse their offense declines in crunch time.

When Bryant is on the floor in crunch time, Bryant’s Lakers are actually outscored by their opponents.

A great offensive team performing at average levels, with a star setting records for number of shots attempted. Teammates left wide open. Evidence, even, that Bryant’s play puts his team into nailbiters that needn’t be so close.

Ok saying that Jordan is better than Kobe is understandable, but saying that Kobe’s basketball IQ isn’t particularly high is just a STUPID insult to Kobe. Not only is Kobe’s IQ right up there with Jordan’s, but he is just as much of a leader! He carries his team just as much as Jordan did. Did you see the Lakers when Kobe went down this year!? They got swept right off the court. And you’re also forgetting that Jordan had Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen. I rest my case.

Damn, If Kobe played with Pippen and in their era, the story would’ve been different. And I’m a proud Laker fan, and to all of you die-hard MJ fan, MJ said himself that Kobe was the only one to be even compared to him. And shut all the fuzz, there will never be a player that will come as close as they play, their skill, styles and moves. You should appreciate them both that they came in the NBA, because if not, NBA will be purely dependents of full of muscles and athleticism, MJ and Kobe relied on skills, IQ, and talent. Period.

This is a no brainer if I ever read one. Kobe has five rings that is an amazing feat there is no question and as much as I can’t stand him he probably is the second best quard of all time. Now, people talk about Michael’s six which is one better a valid point. Let’s not forget a few facts for three of Kobe’s rings he was not the best player on his team, Jordan never had a Shaq, not saying anything against Pippen who is my favorite player of all time. Let’s also remember Jordan took almost two seasons off and wanted to keep the second version of the Bulls championship teams together for two more years. Now, this is only what ifs, but somebody wanna tell me he wouldn’t have gotten one or two more rings had he been active for four more seasons.

phil coached micheal when he had been laying in the NBA for over 10 years…i.e he’ d got experience and leadership……where as he coached kobe when he was still much younger and inexperienced with a great player like shaq in the team

For me MJ is the better player cause i think if the their roles where reversed MJ would be chasing Bill Rusell for sure.I cant imagine Shack having issues with MJ.I think this team right now with Howard would be in the west finals.

There you have it folks. Jackson himself said it. I don’t think anyone has the better position to say it than Jackson. Michael’s resume is just too great. But Kobe has his own and his amazing as well. Michael is 1, but Kobe is 2. I don’t think anyone will be as good as Jordan. 6/6 in the finals 6/6 finals MVP. Both are so much the same, yet so different. If there was anybody to be compared to Jordan in this generation, its Kobe. No one else comes close, except for LeBron. But his legacy is still being written, we’ll give him some time. Kobe is almost done though, so these comparisons are starting to look legitimate.

Here we go again :) how many times do we hear Phil or any other player/coach saying one thing and then writing on the book another. There is no denying, MJ is GOAT, those people old enough to watch him day in day out knows why. Kobe is close, but still far away. MJs consistency throughout the career is mind boggling. The man averaged 30+ ppg throughout career. It is not one season of 30 points or something. Playoffs average is even higher. Finals even higher. Never lost a final, etc etc. ehm, what am I doing here, defending the obvious fact …
I enjoyed watching Kobe, love his competitive nature, but let’s be real, he is great but not greatest ever and definitely not better than MJ

I think MJ was way more dominate. Kobe wasn’t even the best player on his own team when Shaq was there. That alone tells me that MJ is a much better player because he was always the best on the court. Kobe is good and he is a legend but based on stats I would rather have LeBron over him as well. LBJ is dominate just like MJ was.

For all you Kobe haters, he was just saying that he was forced to come off the bench, then to take a back seat to Shaq for the first HALF of his career when he was clearly the best player on the team. If MJ was forced to play second fiddle for half his career, how would his numbers look. Revisionist historians forget that MJ was considered a selfish, showboat, me-first individual player with no jump shot, until he had a coach and a supporting cast. Also he has an MVP trophy that really belongs to Charles Barkley and one or two that belong to Karl Malone and Hakeem. But Jordan was the most popular marketable player, so he got the nod. And if you MJ lovers look back at the finals, Portland was the better deeper team that year, Magic was past his prime and the Lakers stars had retired, and MJ’s Bulls never faced Dream’s Rockets in the finals. So before we start saying MJ’s Bulls dominated the competition, check the facts.

Who ever said that Jordan didn’t have a Jump Shot? If Jordan didn’t have a jump shot how did he hold the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). I seen nothing but jump shots go down time after time. He made hit what he called the biggest jump shot of his career back in ’82 at UNC during the NCAA Championship. You say that he shouldn’t have won those MVPs when he didn’t get them at first in his career when he was kicking butt when he was winning scoring titles and steal titles with NBA’s Defense player of the year awards then when should he have won them?

Kobe my act alittle like Michael on the court while he is playing Offense but he still haven’t won a Defensive of the year award or win three steals titles and setting the record with over 200 steals and a 100 blocks in a season. He just don’t have the killer instinct like Jordan does and that is the only reason I don’t compare them. Kobe is great and will go down as the 2nd or 3rd best 2 guard. But no matter what he does from here on out his career will he ever take the crown away from Jordan. EVER.

You are right about Portland had a hellva team and most of the Lakers in 90-91 were well past there prim but they still kicked butt with what they had until Magic come up with HIV, which he should have kept on playing since he was no danger to anyone like everyone thought at the time. The league had some great teams during those times with all the superstars in it. It was fun to watch for sure each night no matter who played.

Like I commented above.
this comment is stupid. Shaq would not have won those 3 without Kobe, and Kobe would not have won without Shaq. People that comment that Kobe was just simply a “sidekick” to Shaq.
Here are their averages from the 2000-2001 playoffs
Shaq: 30.4 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.4 bpg, 56% FG, 53% FT
Kobe: 29.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 47% FG, 82% FT

Let’s look at that western conference final averages against the Spurs that year, which were the real finals.

Well well.. Look who’s talking? Basketball IQ is not only based on stats, you imbecile.. Let alone the fact that your stat basis is stiff.. A few season is not enough to prove everything.. And this is just a few playoff stats.. Explain to me why the Lakers didn’t even made it to the playoffs and didn’t even reached the .500 mark in a couple of seasons after shaq left? They only came back to being a title-contender when bynum and/or pau came.. I hope you’re at least smart enough to realize by now that my only point in my previous comment is that Kobe cannot carry a team, PERIOD! Your reply doesn’t even connect with my point. Sigh! If you have basketball IQ, you’ll be looking at the broader perspective not just some highlighted stats.. It’s like quality over quantity.. Such a moron.. How dare you challenge me to an intellectual debate? Come face me again when you have something else original in your mind rather than depending on selective stats… And be sure to be tentative to EVERY character when you read.. You not only lack basketball IQ, but also general IQ…

No, correction; three championships because Kobe was the closer and facilitator when teams played hack-a-Shaq, and Shaq had to come out of games at times in the fourth quarter because he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn from the free throw line. It’s ok to love MJ, but don’t act like Kobe was some bum who was just along for the ride on those championship teams. I love Kobe and hated MJ cause I was a Sixers fan. But I freely admit that MJ was clearly better. But we don’t have to revise history to make that point. Kobe is not MJ, but he is the second best 2 Gaurd ever, NO QUESTION!! He is also a top 10 all time player.

this comment is stupid. Shaq would not have won those 3 without Kobe, and Kobe would not have won without Shaq. People that comment that Kobe was just simply a “sidekick” to Shaq.
Here are their averages from the 2000-2001 playoffs
Shaq: 30.4 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.4 bpg, 56% FG, 53% FT
Kobe: 29.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 47% FG, 82% FT

Let’s look at that western conference final averages against the Spurs that year, which were the real finals.

By the way if you think jordan did not take as many shots in the game think again. jordan took a lot of shots and missed a lot of shots as well. It’s just that jordan took enough shots that eventually the percentage evened out. Just like iverson took a lot of shots. These guys get paid millions to take that many shots. Kobe shots are a lot more difficult to make and more spectacular to watch than jordan.

Ok…figure like this…Jordan was identified even while he was still playing as the BEST BASKETBALL PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME! People struggle to identify Kobe as the best basketball player currently in the league. (Some of you may have heard of the guy who took his talents to South Beach a few years ago. The same guy who won all but one unanimous votes for MVP this year). So why is this even a conversation?

a tweet from kobe:
“The comparisons are #apples2oranges Wonder what the perception would be if M played wit @shaq instead #differentroles #differentcareerpaths”
well kobe, if MJ played with shaq, first shaq wouldnt be traded to the heat and still be a laker.
second MJ and shaq would get more than just 3 rings.
so bottom line is this, MJ is better than you!
G.O.A.T

I hate when people get all offended when people compare players to MJ. First of all SHUT UP. Seriously, if you’re a true basketball fan, appreciate players like Kobe, Lebron, and even Kevin Durant, for putting in hard work just to make the sport we all love, fun to watch. Players cannot be compared to one another esp. if you’re trying to determine who is better. Everyone has different opinions. Everyone is going to have valid points. But when you say someone is better than someone, remember it is just YOUR opinion and not everyone will have the same opinions as you!

Your right jsmooth other than the fact that Kobe or Lebron or any body like him had the killer instant like Jordan did. He may have not been the best basketball player on the floor each and every time he stepped out on it, but he did find a way to bring home the hardware after he got to the finals. Which I am not dismissing that the fact it took Jordan 6 years to get to through all of the good teams and learn from it just like Kobe and the rest of them had to do. He was not all bed of rose for Jordan either. He had his lumps and buries before he took the hardware for the next six full years he played.
I don’t think anyone on here was putting down the game of basketball were they?

I think we are glad that we have a few players left to entertain us ever now and than.

Kobe is not even near the level of today’s top player LeBron James, that’s why Kobe only has one mvp. He was never the best of his time and should’t be compared to the best of all time who put up 5 mvps himself and was the leader of all his team in his championships. MJ was Clearly the best of his time and all time.

I am a HUGE KOBE FAN! SERIOUSLY!!! But i have to agree with the zen master. Kobe was never close to MJ. MJ is the king of all the legends. Most unstoppable player of all time. Kobe is right next to him. trust me even MJ would say that!

In Kobes prime (when he was a scoring machine) the season he scored 81 people, he had smuch parker, chris mihm, and kwame brown. IN HIS PRIME!! When shaq was on the lakers kobe was not in his prime. He was young then. When michael was in his prime he had scottie pippen. Put scottie pippen with kobe, (when kobe is in his prime) and see what happens.

LOL..do you really measure the prime time period for your player for just one single season? well then that player should not even be categorized as a great player. Maybe he was just having a stellar season.

u can not compare jordan to anyone because he is simmply the best…. cou canot compare to lebron because lebron have a roblem in closing the game because he is nervous…. no way can lebron beat jordan in his game becasue jordan does it all to win while lebron do nothing…lebron cannot make a winning shot or a free throw missing bot in crucial game…is that a good plater???/ lebron also depending only on his team mate very much while jordan making his move to lift his co-player to gave there best….
im sorry to disapoint the lebron james fans but its true u can see that u can not hide it….

mj and kobe,both great. mj maybe the greatest but i like kobe more.. he’s more humane. has weaknesses, vulnerable but its so human. it’s more exciting,more intriguing and interesting. jordan is too good but sometimes being too good becomes boring..

That is a different way at looking at it jhutreyes. which is so true if so many people weren’t amazed by the things that he did do on the court that we haven’t seen been. So many people remember those things and forget the reset which makes us simple minded. lol..

They played different areas.. Jordan was in an adolescent basketball era, Kobe played in an era of full basketball potential. Not much to say Phil Jackson has obviously a bias, because of personalities..

LEBRON IS BETTER THAN KOBE AND MICHAEL! LEbron is more athlectic than both of them! Lebron will get his second ring this season and will get six more rings in the next few seasons. Lebron is better than KObe and Kobe is better than MJ. Therefore, LEbron is much better than MJ!

Something’s wrong with you too.. You can’t include kobe.. Phil Jackson already confirmed it.. He forces shots therefore he’s a ball hog.. He’s not a leader as he can’t influence his team.. He in fact makes his teammates feel bad that they lose morale.. Poor pau gasol and Dwight Howard.. Victim of a wanna-be leader without social skills..

You don’t and a lot of other folks still don’t get it. It is the killer instinct inside him that makes Jordan the Winner. Is it about winning? Is that why they play the game is to win it? He will find a will to win no matter what it takes.

Now after saying that someone is going to mention Bill Russell which I would loved to see him play but I didn’t get too it was before my time but I do know what Jordan poured out on the court each and every time he stepped on it with no excuses.

Kobe is a great player in his own right, but it’s undeniable that he takes advantage of a lot of things he stole from Jordan’s game.
I have to disagree with the point about Kobe playing against better guards. Jordan played his last years against most of the “more athletic” guards you noted here. He was still intimidating as a scorer and a shut down defender in his last years (as an old man by NBA standards). And it’s funny that one guy said Kobe ushered in these guards when clearly they (including Kobe) modeled their games after Michael.

Michael changed the standard. Most of the big name players in the league (only excluding super star post players, maybe even a few of them) modeled their game after Michael.

mj is the best ever, period. someone brought up lebron as the best. must be a lebron generation guy. to be the best u got to beat the best. not join them. until lebron wins titles without two other superstars. he should never come up on this subject again.

MJ is better than Kobe, but then Kobe is just as confident with what he had surrounding him during his 4th and 5th titles. Without Pau Gasol, Kobe would not have played in three straights finals.

On the opposing side, Jordan would not have won titles without Pippen aboard. Kobe tends to give up when things don’t go his way. We watched Kobe give up in the series against the Suns in 2006 Playoffs and in Game 6 versus the Celtics in the 2008 Finals.

Kobe can shoot 3’s better than Jordan. He proved this with making an NBA record 12 3’s in one game and in many other games. When Kobe gets his teammates involved, he helps the Lakers win games. I would rather see Kobe get a triple double than score 60-81 points in a game.

Both players played many years with one team, though Jordan returned a second time to play on the Wizards. Jordan is Jordan and Kobe is Kobe. No need to compare these players. Jordan put the NBA on the modern map. Kobe carried the torch to show that he could win titles without Shaq.

MJ is way better then kobe. kobe always be taking about 27 shots and be making 9 lol
such a low percentage shooter
mj used to shoot high percentage shots and never forced anything
he wasnt selfish like kobe thats why they can never be compared
MICHEAL JORDAN is the best basketball player ever created

KOBE IS THE GREATEST SHOOTING GUARD EVER….KOBE MATCHES UP WITH FAR BETTER PLAYERS WHO COME OFF THE BENCH THAN JORDAN EVER DID AGAINST SCRUBS LIKE CRAIG EHLO AND JOHN STARKS WHO WERE STARTERS FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE TEAMS…JR SMITH WHO COMES OFF THE BENCH IS A BETTER PLAYER THAN CRAIG EHLO AND JOHN STARKS COMBINED!!

Wake AKAH, the game was far better top to bottom around the league when Jordan played. That tells us that you didn’t even watch the other teams in the league during that time if you are going to throw up to names that were not in the top 50 all-nba list that David Stern came out with which on played during that same time.

How everyone forgets about how tough it really was in the league against some of the greatest of all time. Plus most of the time it wasn’t the two guards just covering Jordan it was the SF’s and most of the other team out on the floor always shawdowing everywhere he went on the floor. They knew he was going to get the ball and they couldn’t stop him. Not saying that the Kobe doesn’t get double and tripled team too but different time and a different game completely.

If anyone has any doubts about the play on the court during the mid to late 80’s go grab any tape of any game during those times and see the complete different how players were guarded and how the game flow was. All these comments about the guards people are naming in this post leads me to believe that you didn’t watch basketball at all during the 80’s or early 90’s. Does anyone remember the battles between Isisah, Joe Dumars, Clyde, Magic, Michael Cooper, Dennis Johnson, Hershey Hawkins, Johnny Dawkins, Terry Porter, John Stockton, Jerome Kersey, Thurl Bailey, Bryon Scott, Vinnie Johnson, Adian Dantley, Otis Smith, Fat Lever, Vernon Maxwell, Danny Ainge, Reggie Lewis, Maucie Cheeks, Cliff Robinson, Roland Blackman, Dominique Wilkins, Dale Ellis, Derrick McKey, Sedale Threatt, Mitch Richmond, Tim Hardaway, Norm Nixon, Reggie Williams, Rckey Piece, Jay Humphires, Sidney Moncrief, Benard King, Ron Harper, Mark Price, Reggie Theus, Chuck Person, Reggie Miller, Vern Fleming, Mookie Blaylock, Dennis Hopson, Derek Smith.

Kobe raped someone…. and lebron looks like an old cartoon black guy haha mj is the greastest I havent seen a movie with kobe or lebron in it cause media and hollywood dont think they are that great haha and plus that song I wanna be like mike I mean come on nobody says I wanna be like kobe or lebronto this day eveyone says I wanna be like mike enough said

ive read that article a couple times and no where does it say MJ is better than KOBE, it lists a couple examples where MJ is better in certain situations but thats it. I dont believe Kobe to be better but seriously everyone is givin him such a hard time for no reason.MJ was a fan favorite and his popularity has only gone up post retirement, where KOBE has always been a love em or hate em kind of guy. Statistically kobe probly has the slight edge minus FG% add in the much steeper competion that he faces and forget about the nostalgia of the bulls/MJ dynasty and you get kobe coming out on top IMO, not to mention 81 points in the modern NBA is ridiculous and should be considered a defining moment in nba history I really hope kobe comes back next year and can continue to play at a hgih level to either close the gap on MJ or pull away and sepearte himself even further. Everyone has there own opinion and mabey im to young to appreciate what MJ did but i came up in the time of Kobe and for 17 years hes been the greatest player in a league thats full of great players the fact he only has one MVP is the biggest travisty in the nba .

You can argue/compare all you want about who is better. But no one can argue who could understand either players the best. That person is Phil Jackson. Phil was there everyday with these players. He has spoken, MJ is better.

Im latíno but loved MJ and NBA, but like in Soccer Pele, Maradona are incomparable among them because they played on different eras, environments set of team mates etc. they both were good and had pro’s and con’s. Messi is the best player now days on the best team of the world but it is unfair to compare with them. Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson. The only way is to have a time machine, grab on or the other and make them play at their peak, then you could make a fair comparison.

The thing is, people will always remember Lebron’s move to Miami to unite with Bosh and Wade to win the championship no matter how many rings will Lebron have by the end of his career. MJ? he built his legacy by himself.

I like how you cut off his quote to fit in with your bias article. He said that Kobe took longer to learn because he was younger but he did become a great leader and Phil mentions that specifically. You neglected to put that in your article. He also said Jordan was better because he was bigger and stronger, a fact and he could palm the basketball, more patient. We all knew this. Kobe is also right, if Jordan played with a Shaq his career would have been drastically different. It’s an unfair comparison.

You finally said it right, once I found out smith wrote this article I knew it’d be filled with Kobe hatred haha, Kobe is just as good. He is by no means better. The fact that mamba is even considered in the same category as MJ is testament to how good Kobe is. Idk y everyone has forgotten this but MJ said himself that he would pick Kobe over LBJ and that Kobe is the only player good enough to be compared to him. Sekou, please just quit hating on the #1 or 2 best shooting guard of all time. I know you’re mad he’s better than lebron…lol.

Jordans strength is the same as the Spurs. He didnt butcher his roster. They played together for years thus knowing each others games and playing according to everyones strengths/weaknesses. With Shaq he would have been just as dominant. You mentioned his last championship in which he had just came back from baseball and played in a previous shortened season only to come in take 30 mil that season, get a 72-10 record and win the title. He said and I quote “As long as they dont break uo his team he’d keep playing. The Bulls then traded pippen and thats when he retired. They dismantled a beastly team and he wasnt going to start over when there was no need with a new squad especially at that stage of his career. The Bulls were dumb on that note.

The Bulls sure were and they haven’t went back to the finals since. They can thank ole 6 chins general manager Jerry Krause for that. No matter how much they were giving Jordan they were making that back plus x40% or more with Tickets and Merchandising. How much Merchandising and tickets did they move afterwards? No where near what they were doing. Plus it put a bad rep on the franchise for quite a while until they got in Derrick Rose and the new cast of folks.

The hand checking rules of MJ’s era on defense- he could use his hands; and with that sneaky off arm shove he used on offense (impossible today) he could escape others’ hand checks. That made the game easier for him. But he was also purer as a shooter and leader. But Kobe has a larger repertoire of shots and moves to use against today’s more sophisticated defensive schemes and he is a more dedicated competitor. Proof? Could you imagine Kobe becoming a loser-owner of MJ’s “stature”?

Darko, you didn’t watch in the 80’s either did you? He had to use that hand to fend off all the jabs he was getting from everyone on the court, even the ball boys was jabing at him when he the ball. All these schemes have been done before. There is nothing new about the way defensive is ran other than someone has a different name for it.

it is funny to see how people come up with logic to put Kobe up where Jordan has earned to be for now on just by his heart and will to win.

Comparing one player to another is not the answer…coz’ for me there is no greatest or best player than the other players..because all of us have their own talents, differences, skills, strength and weakneses..if you say that MJ is the best and the greatest player than Kobe or vice versa its actually a funny thing.you know why?because MJ can do things that nobody can do. kobe can do things that nobody can do.

Will Michael always be the GOAT? I think he will be, for a long time. However, it is hard to imagine that in the decades to come, no player will come along that will be able to learn from all the great players playing today and in the future, integrate their moves and approach to the game, add and refine their own unique gifts, and become an even greater player than those in our current pantheon. Remember, Lebron learned from Oscar, Magic, Michael, Scottie, Kobe, among many others. He would not be the player he is today without those guys. Add his unique physical gifts, and you have another contender for GOAT. Keep in mind also that the sport of basketball is expanding and evolving across the world and sports science is always advancing. The future will hold even stronger and faster players, and more of them.

It should be interesting, once Kobe and Lebron finish their careers, to make a three-way comparison. I think Lebron has many of the same leadership qualities that Michael had, as far as developing camaraderie and a team-first environment. He also lets the game come to him, playing a complete floor game and doing whatever it takes to help his team win. Kobe has developed this ability over the years, but it took him longer, partly because he is probably the most natural scorer of the three, and tends to overplay that facet of his game at times. Of course, unless Lebron wins a few more championships, he will suffer in comparison, and rightly so.

As I said it before and I will say it again. This topic between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan can be debated who is the greatest basketball player in the world of all time. People around the world should vote for it not only the sportswriters, coaches, players of the NBA but all people.

My opinion and vote goes to Kobe Bryant. He is the greatest basketball player of all time. On 1 on 1 play, Kobe wins over Jordan.

Kobe vs MJ ? I think the stronger argument would be Lebron vs Kobe … And LeBron’s just getting started!!! wait until Lebron’s career is over and I guarantee you it will be a legit argument. Kobe is one the greatest, but Lebron vs MJ is much more of a debate!

It’s funny that till this day Jordan has shot 200 more shots than Kobe counting till this day. We say Jordan is a better scorer but I see Kobe has a better low post game, jump shot, handle and he drives better in my opinion… Jordan was way more athletic and a scoring machine but not better than Kobe when it came to all around scoring. Defensively I’ve seen both shut down players in there times and Kobe has played against better guard competition than jordan hands down. John Starks, Jim Jackson, Ron harper, and even the likes of Reggie miller or Steve smit doesn’t cut it.’only competition back then was Clyde drexler and everyone else was not the prototypical shooting guardmjordan was back then. Kobe ushered in a era where the guard position became more athletic stronger faster and better defenders. Kobe played against Allen ievrson, jr rider, d wade, ginobli, ray Allen, Vince carters etc.. You can’t name 5 shooting guards back then that was averaging 25 or better when Jordan was dropping 30 a game…. Kobe ushered in these new breed players along wilts Allen ievrson so you’ll are doing Kobe some injustice here… We know how great Jordan is butto say Kobe doesn’t compare to him is ludacris… I believe if Jordan was playing in today’s nba where he athletes are much faster and stronger and athletic he would have a tougher time and believe me yea they set the hand check rule but everyone still does it. When Kobe was in his prime he shut everyone down and the players that I said to you don’t even match with the players kobe has gone against accept Clyde and maybe reggie miller

Now the maturity situation and leadership I give to Jordan hands down but we also have to remember Kobe came out of college but as he got older his maturity and leadership became much better and his will and determination can never be compared by any player

Just can’t understaned why anyone would try to argue with a man who coached and spent so much time with both players?? You guys like me only watch the two players on tv play the game, I think I understand the game of basketball and it’s rules but I’m no coach. I sure can’t tell of even begin to know what to look for between MJ and Kobe. I sure won’t be able to argue with coach Jackson a man who coached both players to 11 combine rings and I don’t believe anyone here can either. It all comes down to who you are a fan of, it’s personal perference. I think they are both freek’n awsome but I’m MJ fan and always will be.

i completely agree with this. people forget not too long ago phil said that kobe was every bit as good as jordan. the 2 are closer than people like to admit and its pretty annoying. jordan was able to take so much advantage of the 2 or at times 3 position cause there was no real talent at the time at those positions. i say any mediocre to good 2 or 3 man now would have a been a star around his time.

I’m pretty sure the comment your referencing was when Phil was coaching Kobe at the time. I’m pretty sure there’s some conflict of interest there. Just in case you don’t get what I’m saying: He’s not going to diss Kobe while he’s coaching Kobe.

@ Brent OMG, I swear I have never read so much BS in my life, that was a statement of stupidity… I reckon you are wrong in pretty much everything you wrote… or your comment is just a joke, isn’t it? please tell me you were just trolling

in 2000s decade it was guards and forwards always dominates the game statistically, wade,iverson,paul,t-mac,anthony,james,arena,durant.bryant. etc… not to mention wade is just 6’4, iverson 6’0 arenas 6’5 and some shorter guys can easily score in their prime… so how come Jordan will have the toughest competition when he played todays era where most guards can easily score??..
you still disagree Jackson said? he’s the coach and your just a fan who cant accept the fact that jordan has an edge over kobe… Joe Dumars of pistons rated top guards defenders of all time, hes the one who guard jordan evrytime they meet.. still most people believe jordan era was the toughest for guards to score…

Better low post game? Are you kidding me? It is widely acknowledged that Jordan was FAR superior in the low post. I’ll give you everything else as to being debatable, even defense. But please don’t spout off such nonsense about Kobe being better in the low post. MJ had far superior numbers in that aspect. Also, if your argument as to why Kobe is better is due to “superior athletes”, then my argument as to MJ being the better is that he played in the era of big men and a HELL of a lot tougher defense. Howard, Gasol, etc? Surely you don’t believe they are better than Mutombo, Robinson, Shaq, Hakeem and Ewing. And as for defense, Lebron and Wade pissing about “nonbasketball plays” with the league consequently cracking down and handing flagrants and/or techs and ejections shows you what era Kobe plays in. Have you seen the fouls that the league penalized from the constant moaning? Those are considered “clean, hard” fouls by most players that played in the 80’s and 90’s. But yet you see these new stars spewing such nonsense about how players who play physical defense are thugs. I’m sorry, should the player let you waltz in and gently give a love tap as you make the shot? Yeah, this era MIGHT be better physically, but the players of MJ’s era were a hell of a lot tougher and smarter mentally. Today? It’s all about using that incredible physique to try and outrun or outjump. Why play smart when you can be in a highlight reel?

Here is a proper comparison. Kobe Bryant is a Ferrari. Michael Jordan is a Jedi knight who sits on the Jedi Council next to Yoda and Yoda is Phil Jackson. To beat a dead horse. Kobi Bryant is Porsche. Michael Jordan is Captain Kirk of the Enterprise and Phil Jackson is Commander Spock. Do some serious research before you post and stop being so sensitive about Kobe. Accept my comparisons and be at peace with this issue. May the force be with you. Live long and prosper.

Even if today’s players still do SOME handchecking, no team today does handchecking like the Bad Boy Pistons & Pat Riley’s Knicks. The whole league back then started playing defense like these 2 teams & the average scores of games went down. Then the league took it out because offense, not defense, sells tickets. So MJ played against tougher defenses. A lot of people think today’s players are better offensively but they’re actually not because defenses aren’t allowed to play like they used to. Just watch old games of Bulls vs Pistons & you’ll see what MJ had to fight through, Kobe never went through any of that.

Not just those two teams either. Every team had to be more psychically just to walk out on the court with what was about to take place on the hardwoods. See it is just like everything else that is happening in this country. You have to dumb it down for everyone and not be to violent so we don’t upset someone’s feelings because someone may take offense to it. Just like in football, they cant really play good defense any longer because of the same thing. Everyone wants to see offense and no wants someone to get a hurt while playing a violent sport. I don’t get that. That is why you play football, to light someone up.

Yup, but you have to consider the type of defense MJ has to go through every game. The rules today favors a lot to scoring and dont-hurt-the-star-players. Just imagine how guards like Monta, Jennings, Curry would’ve scored at that time? The Bulls-Heat playoffs wasn’t even considered physical at that time, Bowen won’t be called a dirty player, and Boston’s grit would just be normal to most teams. Just think what would be the PPGs of players like Miller, Richmond, Payton, Sprewell would be if they’re playing today.

Kobe is a great player in his own right, but it’s undeniable that he takes advantage of a lot of things he stole from Jordan’s game.

I have to disagree with your point about Kobe playing against better guards. Jordan played his last years against most of the “more athletic” guards you noted here. He was still intimidating as a scorer and a shut down defender in his last years (as an old man by NBA standards). And it’s funny that you say Kobe ushered in these guards when clearly they (including Kobe) modeled their games after Michael.

Michael changed the standard. Most of the big name players in the league (only excluding super star post players, maybe even a few of them) modeled their game after Michael.

Statistics: in my opinion they both shoot too much :) LOVE BOTH OF THEM, MJ has it all, the model of grace and determination should not be questioned…………he is the ultimate machine……….but see what’s coming Lebron, Durant………..NBA fan forever!!

The comparisons in terms of the style of play are not apple ot oranges. If you look at the moves of both players you will see that Kobe has all his moves from MJ. Jab step, fade away, pull up, not to mention the walk lol. If is ok Kobe to mirror you play after a great player we all have role models thats not a bad thing. Someone had to create the mold.

I know Kobe is near the end of his career, but I still it’s unfair to compare. Hell, MJ was 35 when he got his last ring, and Kobe clearly still has something left as he showed before his injury. I don’t see these Lakers being able to make a run in their current state, but at least let Kobe’s career play out before the comparisons.

It’s simple. Just go on Youtube and look up the Jordan games. Prime Jordan, no one will ever touch physically. It’s like a track athlete playing basketball. 3% body fat, 44 inch vertical leap, 7 foot wingspan with incredibly huge hands. Those pysical qualities alone was something Kobe never possessed. Couple that with the work ethic and the genius level intellect. Jordan was constantly learning and adapting play-by-play, game-by-game. Let’s not even talk about the competitive fire, the mental dominance, the sheer will to win. The man was the Bruce Lee of basketball. The greatest to ever do it. Point blank period. Kobe modeled his entire game after him so that takes away any discussion in my book. You can’t be a better rapper than Jay-Z by imitating his flows. Jordan is the proverbial Big Brother that Kobe measured himself against but never quite made it up there. No taking away from the work Kobe put in but all you have to do is go to Youtube and pull up the evidence yourself. And when Jordan adapted to getting older, he was the most skilled basketball player ever. The footwork, the precision of his jump shot, the almost mystical way that he would be in the right place at the right time EVERY time. The man was an icon on and off the court. MJ all day by a long-shot.

That is the bottom line right there, DJ. He made people watch basketball because he did all those things you mention to perfection. Hell, my dad had never seen a basketball game in his life up to when Jordan grabbed headlines from around the world. My dad said it best, Michael Jordan did to basketball what Muhammad Ali did to boxing. He made it the most watched sport at his time. You can’t get any higher praise than that.

Jordan didnt invent basketball. Those moves are used by all basketball players, it’s not like Kobe just imitates whatever MJ did. MJ was a great scoring threat Kobe is atleast as good if not a better offensive player.

Faint..!! I think you have never watching the game in 80’/90’!! the hard and tough period in all NBA history, no doubt!! the playoff in 80’/90′ like a war! it can easily tell from the score, all team can only score 70 points or 80 points for a completed game, in the playoff the score even lower like 50 points or 60 points a game. If KOBE back to play at 80’/90′, I doubt he can play better then Joe Dumars or Reggie Miller, he can’t even match with Drexler, don’t even meation him to compare with MJ who have won 10 scoring title in 80’/90′.

Kobe does not have big hands like Jordan, or vince, or lebron. He does not have the wingspan like t-mac or durant, does not have the leaping ability of Jordan or vince. He was never the fastest. BUT…this guy worked so hard to become one of the best and developed his game to perfection (in his prime of course). He defied his own physical limitations to rise up over other stars (iverson, shaq, t-mac,vince). If you looked at his improvement over the years, you would know why he is special. He works hard so he can adapt to the game. Jordan is the greatest ever, but there are many players running around today that have the same build and athleticism as Jordan today. I would love to see Jordan try to guard t-mac, or vince in his prime, or kobe in his prime or lebron, wade and a plethra of players.

Jordan couldn’t even keep up with rookie iverson lol because he was too quick. Instead, Jordan’s most re-played shots were agains hornicek and russell (two guys who are not even comparable to the defenders in today’s league)

Pistons defensive plan for Jordan, take him down to the ground. In today’s weak and sensitive league, the dirty Pistons would have been banned from bball. Today’s NBA should just be called WNBA, but then we’d be insulting the WNBA.

The Bad Boys were almost done in 1991 when Jordan won his first title. They were old and saddled with injuries. I hate the argument that MJ is better because he inspired a lot of future HOFers. That pretty much goes without saying for a great player of every era.

Ok, I had to jump in here with my big self like Barley and RIck Mahorn did just to get a taste of the playoffs back in the day.

Does anyone remember during the 80’s that is was not just the Knicks, Bad Boys and Blazers that the bulls were battling everynight. Almost the whole league was tougher and more sound with better skills. Does it excape peoples memory that the 76ers had a great starting 5 with Hersey Hawkins, Johnny Dawkins, Moose Malone, Barkley, Rich Mahaon, Then the Celtics with Bird,DJ,Mchale,Parrish,and their whole bench was just as good as most bottom tier teams. THen you had the Hawks, with Dominique Wilkins , Kevin Willis, Kenny Smith, Tree Rollins, Cliff Levingston, Antoine Carr, Spud Wedd, Johnny Battle, Moses at the end of his career. Then the powerful Lakers with a all-star cast from top to bottom with Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Michael Thomaspon, A.C. Green, Bryon Scott, Kareem, Magic. Then lets not forget that the Jazz had a good team too. With Malone, Stockton,Hornceck, Mark Eaton, Mel Turpin, Thurl Bailey, Darrly Dawkins, Bob Hanson/. Then The Houston Rockets, and I can name all those too. With Akeem, Ralph Sampson, Rodney Mcray, Sleepy Floyd, Joe Bob Carrol, Cedric Maxwell, Purvis Short. And then a couple more terms, Like the S.A. Spurs with David Robison, Jay Vincent, Keith Smart, Anothony Bowie, Greg Anderson, Sean Elliot, Alvin Robertson, And one of the last ones I am going to throw out here is the Dallas Mavericks with Mark Aguirre, Roland Blackman, Derek Harper, Roy Tarpley, James Donaldson, Sam Perkins, Detlef Schrempf, Steve Alford, Bill Wennington,

Does everyone forget how stack the NBA was in the 80’s early 90’s? It was watered down now with only a couple of teams with a bunch of good and great players. You can look back at the all time top 50 players that they came up with and half of them are from the 80’s and 90’s. So lets not compare apples to oranges because you are only as good as your competition and Kobe didn’t get to play against the best like Jordan did each and every night. It wasn’t Kobes fault that the rest of the league was watered down by the time he got to the league.

what!!! The kobe era was one of the worst eras in basketball, the east was awful. The sixers, bucks and raptors were contesting for the EAST finals. Hell the new jersey nets made the finals twice… the lakers and spurs were the only team goods in that time. All you have to do is look at the dream team line up from 1992 and tell me that this is not the greatest era ever??? barkley, Drexler, Malone, Stockton, ewing, david robinson, miller, pippen, shaq, bird, magic….All retired legends…..and you’re going to state that kobe’s era is better???? like who??? tracy mcgrady, Iverson, vince carter, steve francis, Marbury??/ all who will end their careers playing in china???? Jordan competed at the greatest era in nba history, where hand checking was LEGAL!!! where playoffs series were all out wars (see knicks-bulls 91-96). Now the nba is so ticky tacky, everything is a foul. Jordan and was 6-0 in the finals. Kobe and LeBron both lost twice! kobe has one mvp, and he didn’t even deserve the 08′ nod, that was KG’s, even chris pauls.
The nba was AWFUL after the lockout in 1999. The nba luckily picked backed up when LeBron was great like in 06′. but from 1999-2006 the nba was watered down. You might be too young to understand. NBA only now has come back to prominence, the 2000’s decade was awful. Do you even know where Iverson is right now??? that’s how bad it is….

That’s a bit harsh on AI.. lol.. He was a great player that had a great career.. just that he’s not smart enough with his money therefore he has to play at lesser known places after his career is done.. lol

Hadnt looked at it that way. I actually was a victim of the 98-99 lockout ( I played for Orlando Magic’s summer league team and played well but the lockout…) anyway-good post man. lots of truth in it. the league also got weaker when they went up to 30 teams. talent spread thinner.

Kobe played and still plays with competition that Jordan simply didn’t. There was Bird, Magic, and other great players back then, but now there are guys like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose. The athleticism of NBA players has increased since Jordan, so its hard to compare. Lets face it there are some crazy athletic guys nowadays, not saying that Jordan isn’t and Kobe is better though.

MJ dunked close to the free throw line, Kobe did not. Lol in addition, MJ shot a free throw with his eyes closed in an official game. Kobe have not. LOL. Kobe and MJ comparison will always be an issue because they play they both play the 2 position, the offguard. LeBron can play all five though. Lol

Yes, that’s why Lebron could not guard an old washed up Garnett against Boston..Lebron is still learning to play strong in the post…Paul George is much smaller than Lebron, and lebron has not posted against him at all so far..He should be dominating more than he is right now.

It’s a sensitive subject, but in response to Kobe’s “what if” tweet. What if MJ didn’t have to go through the tragedy of his father dying like that? He was playing baseball trying to live up to his dad’s dream. MJ as a player took a big hit and in effect was robbed of even more rings.

I’ll add that it was a different game back then. Jordan was iron man going up against hard D from the Knicks, Pistons, Blazers. You get no call back then over what is a flagrant now. That is reality.

That’s true!! if MJ not going to play baseball becoz of his dad’s dying, he could get two more rings there. If Shaq is playing in Bulls instead Lakers after 98′, MJ may not retire, Phil may continue coach in Bulls, and MJ could win another 3 rings with Shaq after 98′.

Mr.realist2013: u post a good opinion but u still hv to enhance ur business perspective as i think u r jst thinking bout playing games but u dont know the deeper side of NBA. try to think if kobe didnt do dat when he was a youngster, do u think he will be d highest paid nba player today? put in mind at d end of d day Money still matters most.

I think that’s the point Phil is making, though admittedly his grammar is ambiguous. Going to college probably would have helped Kobe get more life experiences, confidence, and social acumen to relate to his teammates more easily as a young player.

MJ IS THE BEST TO EVER PLAY AND COMPARING HIM TO KOBE WHO IS A VERY GOOD PLAYER IS REALLY A DISSERVICE TO THE GAME. MJ IS THE ZEUS OF BASKET BALL AND KOBE IS A MESSENGER OF THE GAME AS WAS OSCAR, WILT, KAREEM , MAGIC AND LEBRON. IF MJ HAD SHAQ INSTEAD OF LONGLEY OR CARTWRIGHT, HE WOULD HAVE AS MANY OR MORE RINGS THAN RUSSELL. IN MJ TIMES, EVERY TIME HE WAS PLAYING WAS A SPECIAL EVENT AND HE WAS ON A PEDESTAL BASED ON SKILLS, SMART, LEADERSHIP . 15 YEARS AFTER HE RETIRED WE ARE STILL ON AWE OF HIS BASKETBALL IQ. MAY GOD BLESS THE MAN AND MAY KOBE, THE NEW GENERATION AND FUTURE ONES TRY TO FOLLOW THE PATH HE DESIGNED FOR THEM.

I’m not saying that Kobe is as good or better than Michael, but I do believe the comparison is unfair: not because Michael is too awesome to compare to or because they played in different eras with different casts and opponents and rules (the latter portion being a confounding factor though) but because Kobe is still playing and the Michael we remember retired 15 years ago. We all remember the greatness Michael had, we forget the mediocrity. Its human nature; we never remember the duller moments in life. As Kobe plays we get to watch every moment, we also remember every moment because its all so fresh. Eventually his off nights will fade, as Michaels did, and they can have a more even playing field. Even then it will be damn hard to compare the two.

I think you are all to hard on Kobe, Just remember players get better every year with technology. Kobe has played against many more house hold names than Jordon did in his time. I don’t like to compare players. because bill Russell would be the greatest player ever if we compare Championships, and player skill domination. They are all great. Kobe was just forced to win in the NBA as a kid, and had to develop his own personality around the mongrels of the Sport.

TO Laker Fan since 69:
Jordan has played against just as many great players that Kobe has played against.
There are two reasons that Kobe has played against more household names.
1) Far more marketing by the NBA ever since Jordan retired.
2) The internet during Kobe’s career has allowed players to be more popular in households than it had during Jordan’s career.

and where do you think these household names you talk about come from???? they all grew up watching MJ. if you really were a basketball fan you should know the dominance of influence MJ brought. you say youve been a fan since 69, if thats really true you should know how many kids try to imitate MJ after watching him…. just like your household name kobe, iverson, durant, lebron…

MJ is just too much. Kobe is a great talent, but isn’t nearly the man that MJ is. Kobe tweeted what would have been the difference if MJ would’ve played with Shaq? I think the only difference would be that Kobe would’ve only got 2 rings, and MJ would’ve still gotten 6 if not more. Not to mention that MJ would’ve still been considered the teams leader, when Kobe obviously had to take the back seat, to Shaq.

All the Kobe fans who think Kobe is better than MJ need to learn from the zen master. Phil Jackson would know better than anyone else on saying who is better between the two. Anyone who has watched both MJ & Kobe throughout their careers (highlights on youtube doesn’t count) would say MJ is the better player. Kobe came from a Jordan mold that had a big crack in it. A few years ago I objectively compared the two in great detail to come up with a very strong argument for who is the better player and I ended up with many more reasons for MJ. There just aren’t enough counterpoints on Kobe’s behalf. MJ is the best ever & will always be.

Kobe is a better pure shooter than MJ with better range but Jordan was a pure clutch scorer and def had a better post game. With MJ u believed not even a team could stop him. Kobe is the best since MJ and definitely top 10 of ALL-TIME!

MJ plays the corporate game better, more calls going his way from ref, and established a common interest with the basketball business.

KOBE is second to MJ, but do not mistaken the fact that KOBE has key points that are far superior than MJ.

Some points Phils (who wrote the trash talk book… To stir trash for cash) are so Invalid it makes him sound like an old fart. MJ matured as he neared his career, and. KOBE is still in the game… Do not mistaken this, to even make the comparison is foolish.

KOBE call me, I’ll write a REAL book, but need a sponsor lol.

Phil, if you need money… Collect old age… Don’t trash active players and try to tarnish their name.

This is the most ridiculous comment on this whole page. You must’ve only watched Jordan highlights and not actual games to get this perspective. I’m pretty sure MJ would be more efficient than Kobe with most of these types of shots. Kobe is a great player but MJ is the greatest.

Yo man u crayz thinkin kobe a better offensive player than mj. Look at stats brah mj is more effient fg,even three point shots. And a better defesive player. Lokk at stats and all around resume’. Dude u crayz. If jordan is 1A. Than kobe is 1AA. Nuff said dude!!!!!!!!!!!! Being second to the greatest aint so bad. I’m mean even in his heart kobe knows this dude!!!!!!!

its simple really, wouldn’t anyone prefer to watch a player that has the potential to get a triple double most nights like Jordan does over Kobe on any day!! the fact that MJ had 10 triple doubles in 11 games is crazy and that fact should end the debate right away!

kobe isn’t even near jordans level and NEVER will be. i find it kind of funny that all these kobe fans said that kobe was the closest comparison to jordan before this stuff surfaced, and now they say kobe and jordan can’t be compared(for whatever bs reason) they both have VERY similar games, mainly because kobe tried to model his after mj’s. with that being said though when we talk about comparing the two i don’t see how kobe even comes CLOSE to jordans level.. late in MJ’s career he never put up low fg % numbers in alot of games like kobe did, mike never shot his team out of games, he always gave the ball to the open man, and like phil said in his book michael never forced ANYTHING like kobe who if misses a shot, comes back the next play and forces another over and over until he gets hot or thinks he is hot. and this is why i think Lebron is far closer to jordan than kobe because lebron is highly effecient just like mj.. you will RARELY see lebron start forcing shots and not give his teammates the ball. as far as accolades i STILL can’t see kobe even close to mj because mj has countless mvp’s rings, AND scoring titles. kobe has what…1 mvp, maybe 2? i just never saw how kobe was compared so closely to mj

Obviously, Michael was better. But to use the amount of MVP’s won, as an indicator to greatness, I wholeheartedly disagree. Kobe deserved many more MVP’s. I am a Heat fan but Kobe deserved the mvp the year Lebron won his first. He also deserved 1 or 2 of Steve Nash’s MVPs.
The real debate is Kobe vs Lebron.
(Alltime that is, obviously Lebron is better than Kobe now)

You’re right on the fact that LeBron is better now only because Kobe has hit father time. Its pretty hard for someone who’s already an older player to be compared to someone how hasn’t even hit 30 yet, Although at All Star weekend Kobe did play him directly and blocked him twice, you cant expect something like that every possession. Kobe, in my opinion, is better in a sense of career, not at this moment. LeBron relies too much on his youth and his ability to attack the basket, what would happen when he gets older, slower, and looses his vertical. he will become an average NBA player.

LeBron is way more selfless than Kobe. Kobe is a high volume but less efficient shooter. His basketball IQ was questionable when he teamed with shaq. He played out of the system too much. He also went away from ball movement, instead he relied to much on iso. Especially when you have an unguardable center on the court. I believe he is overrated by a wide margin. I have him behind bird,magic,jordan,lebron,duncan, i would even consider pippen and drexler. Based on IQ. Kobe has the talent for sure. But in my eyes he wasted a lot of it on ego ball. Had he had the brains of bird he’d be the greatest of all time. He’s still one of the greatest and that’s saying something. But he left a lot to be desired considering the talent he has and the teams he played on.

You want to argue Kobe deserved other people’s MVPs then you could argue Jordan deserved Charles Barkleys and Karl Malones. People were tired of voting for Jordan. The winner of the award is the winner. That’s that.

If you saw both play, it’s just an obvious choice. When Jordan retired in ’98 I remember George Karl talking about the way he would cut out an opponents heart. I will never forget his efforts in the ’97 & ’98 Finals to the day I die. I still love pulling out old VHS tapes from the 90’s, he made every single regular season Sunday game into a work of art, can’t miss TV. This was beauty, brains, and style to everything Jordan did. And he just didn’t let anyone beat him. Jordan was so great, you hear OTHER guys names and you can’t help but think of Michael. You hear Craig Ehlo, you think of Michael. You hear Bryon Russell, Karl Malone, you think of Michael. Somebody invent a time machine!!!

When it comes time to renew Wade, Bosh, and Lebrons contracts, Miami will not be able to buy another ring. People forget that these guys took a combined 15 million dollar paycut to buy their championship, and they have only 3 more chances to do it together. Lebron is only good because of his size (think Shaq) and ability to plow into the lane like a train, but MJ and KB did it with speed, creativity, heart, and a much better all-around game. Ever see Lebron get mad? He just stops playing and stands around especially on D. MJ #1, KB #2, LBJ #16.

^^”Lebron is only good because of his size”??? Are u serious? If Lebron lost his size then he’d still be a all star quality point guard… Kobe & MJ are same position os its a fair comparison. Lebron however is every position apart from SG so that is more like comparing apples with oranges lol

Mj was a team player. MJ showed humbleness under most of the circumstances. You cannot compare a complete player with a man with all kinds of legal problems. They are not athletes only, but role models for children and new generation of players. Did Jackson forgot what he priorly said that Kobe was uncoachable and selfish player? Comparing both will only bring debate; however if the purpose was to male money only , maybe he is entitle to do it, since he coached both of them.

Did you just call Jordan HUMBLE…. Are you joking? Take a look at his hall of fame speach, or any interview with him… People have a funny way of remembering things in the past as being better than they really were… In your case a lot better…

It is unfair to compare Bryant with Jordan, just as it is unfair to compare any other player with Michael, with the possible exception of Oscar Robertson. But Robertson never had the supporting cast in his prime that Jordan did, not the charismatic personality. Micheal was unique. If Bryant begs for this comparison, he will always come up short.

quit compairing people to Jordan before they average over 30 points a game for carrer 2.35 steals a game shout 50 present from the field as guard 5 rebounds 10 scoring championships 6 championships 6 defensive players of the year 6 finals MVP 5 season MVPs they do all that or more thin start to compare

Lebron will take care of ‘best of all time’. Hands down I have never seen a better player, and I got to see Jordan and Kobe and Magic and Bird and Kareem etc etc etc. There is something special about Lebron. It has only just begun.

BS
with today’s pace it is virtually impossible to achieve 30 ppg, also you should take into account.that players today start playing earlier you can’t expect from 18 year old Kobe to average as much as 22 year old Michael.
Also, 50% field goal percentage is misleading statistic, players today shoot much more for 3 points which makes their fg% drop, but efg% is still on the same level, so you should compare on that basis. Michael efg was 51, Lebron’s 52.4.
why do the scoring titles matter so much. Last season Kobe would have won a scoring title if he had wanted to, this year KD, and scoring is not the only thing that makes a basketball player great. Magic is an all-time great but certainly not because of 20 ppg. What matters is the overall influence on the basketball game and winning. MJ was clearly great at that, but in order for people to compare others with him they should have 3-4 championships coupled with several mvps. So, there are several people that are comparable with MJ, but none in today’s game. Nevertheless Lebron is on great track, if he manages to win 3-4 championships more, I’d say he’s there.

Well, the only reason Jordan had the great supporting casts is because Jordan made all of them to be great. with the exception of Rodman, everyone else who played with Jordan was not an all-star caliber player before they started playing with Jordan (Pippen, Grant) and you definitely can’t put the other names in the all star level criteria such as BJ Armstrong, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, Bill Cartwright, etc. Kobe’s case was totally different, he had so many teammates who were already an all-star even before they joined the Lakers such as Shaq, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash. Even with those great names and longer career, Kobe only got 5, and Jordan had 6.

though you do bring up interesting points, I believe you are strongly belittling Pippen, who himself could guard virtually any position and was himself an amazing athlete. Granted he is not as great of a superstar without Jordan than he is, but he is still a star. Also you bring up a washed up Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Steve Nash and a undisciplined Dwight Howard (who is the most overrated center in NBA history), even with Michael , these group of guys would be difficult to win a championship with. Also many people like to bring up the Shaq argument, but I would like to say this, I would like to see Michael play with a prime Shaq and not have just a little of the spotlight taken away from him. All in all I just want to say is that I understand that Michael is the GOAT in many people’s opinion but all I’m saying is you HAVE to at least mention Kobe’s name in the discussion of the greatest players

I was not belittling Pippen at all. I totally agree that he is one of the best small forwards who ever played in the NBA and Jordan was very lucky to have him as his tandem. What i was trying to say is that, MJ played a big role in Pippen’s emergence to reach the all star caliber and to be one of the greatests. Its totally different than Kobe’s situation where he had SHAQ who was already an all-star player even before they teamed up together. and just so you know, i do put Kobe’s name in one of the best basketball players ever maybe 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th. but for me, he’s just not in that same spot as Jordan’s. As you just said, MJ is the GOAT.

I forgot about the SHAQ argument. Well, i don’t want to imagine if Jordan played with a prime Shaq. The fact is even without Shaq, he still got that 6 rings. If Kobe did not team up with SHAQ at his early career, I bet he would not even get those 3 rings. and with that being happened, this debate about comparing Kobe to MJ would never even exist.

Are you inferring that the only reason Kobe has rings is because he had help? I agree, but if you compare the teams that Kobe was on with the teams Jordan was on. I think you’d find that Jordan’s teams were way more stacked… So Jordan actually got more help getting his rings than Kobe did… And please don’t respond with a list of washed up players that tried ridding Kobe’s coat tails to a championship late in their careers.

Comparing LBJ to Jordan is like comparing apples to oranges. Fine, Jordan had to play through a lot of hand checks and physical stuff. However, when Jordan played, there were less players that’s that athletic. If Jordan played in the league today at his prime, how successful do you think he’ll be at playing the likes of KD, wade or even melo (without superstars teamate). They’re both the best players of their time…

I don’t believe this is true. Yes, they are totally different players (Mj and Lebron) but in my opinion one is far more superior than the other. People always attempt to make today’s athleticism the center of their arguement and I feel they overlook all the other variables. Such as who is a better leader, who would you give the ball to with 10 seconds left down by two, who is the better winner …. Not to mention Jordan had far superior athleticism then <95% of the league when he played and this would probably be the same story today. Also, rules were in place to prevent Jordan from scoring 40 a game (hand check and man in the key) and teams would bully him. For Lebron, it's like he gets a clear path … you push him your out of the game. Theres no man in the paint and you cant hand check against lebron. Imagine lebron playing against the pistons, being d'ed up by pippen or rodman … My opinion, Lebron would have been a more athletic Magic Johnson. Wherever you see Magic compared to Jordan, I'd put lebron slightly ahead of that just because he can do everything magic did, but he's far more athletic. As far as comparing bron to Jordan … Or even Kobe he doesn't have that mentality and he's not as skilled (basketball wise). Ps Lebron will be a top ten of all time.

Having watched both in their prime Jordan all day. Watching the games I swear he coached more than Phil. His teammates trusted him and he trusted them. He made his teammates look phenominal. He never lost a finals so for that reason alone not to mention the 72-10 record his team lustered. Kobe is great but coming in straight from high school means he had that mentality as well. Ego city didnt get teammates involved and in LA its media city so hero ball cost the team games and players. Shaq and Kobe what coach would let a jumpshooter be the first option when you have a Diesel engine thats highly accurate when you throw it to him in the post.

I mean Kobe was thinking of himself not winning the games and helping the team. I’d personally love to get my superstar center that was auto double team going every time so I’d be that much more open for shots etc and have the best 1 2 punch in the league. They could have had more rings but Egos killed it.

I think your absolutley right couldn’t have said it any better… But at the in myy opinion Jordan does have the upper hand.. and i believe that either way you cant go wrong.. I believe that a team could be built around either one… I would have loved to see have seen a Finals series between Jordans Bulls and Kobe-Shaq’s Lakers play…